Too Much to Lose
by mysterywriter94
Summary: McGee breaks up with Abby, for mysterious reasons. Abby starts behaving strangely. A dangerous enemy stalks McGee. Somehow, they all connect, and when Abby's secret is revealed, the enemy strikes. Not once, but enough to endanger everyone in NCIS.
1. Lost

Chapter 1- Lost

**A/N: As much as it **_**pains**_** me to say this, I don't own NCIS. This all belongs to Belisarius…but the plot is of my creation and design, so that has to count for something, right? Right? Anyway, for those of you that already know me, you guys know me for Maximum Ride fan fictions (generally). I decided to try something new, and this is what I came up with. I hope you NCIS and Abby fans enjoy this new fan fiction, Too Much to Lose. I borrowed the title from an anorexic story, so the credit for that would have to go to this Bible I happen to own. Not that **_**that **_**matters…anyway, happy reading.**

No going back now, Abby thought determinedly, struggling to forget what happened last night. Time to move on from…_him_. His face was a fierce stab to her heart, his smile wrenched her concentration to pieces, knocked her breathless. She was so focused on trying not to feel anything at all that she scarcely noticed how much work she had already finished, and that Gibbs had entered the lab. He quietly waited behind her, but somehow she knew he was there. She immediately started in on what she found out this morning, in an effort not to let him down.

"The sample I scanned turned out to be a type of protozoa not native to this country; in fact, it hasn't been seen by human eyes for decades. The only place these can be found are somewhere in the ice up in Greenland. As for the rest, I haven't figured it out," Luckily her voice still sounded normal, but the emotion had left it. She hoped Gibbs didn't take any notice.

"Good work, Abby," he said, his lips brushing her cheek. She stiffened at the contact. He left just moments later. As soon as he was gone, Abby collapsed into her chair and sighed. Why did she even decide to come today? There was no use. No point in anything anymore. Not even love. Gritting her teeth, she continued to plow through her assignment, using the work the old version of her used to love in order to numb all feeling remaining inside. The hours ticked by sluggishly, and at several points she had to stop and hold her breath in an effort not to start sobbing uncontrollably. It was around lunchtime that Ziva came by; who was in a good mood because she knew today was the three month anniversary of Abby's relationship with McGee.

"Hey, congrats!" she said, smiling. Abby did not respond. Ziva refused to be deterred and tried again. "Aren't you happy? Your longest relationship _ever_ and no issues as of yet," Still no answer. Now that she thought of it, the silence was too loud. Usually, wasn't there something? Some background noise…? She turned to the CD player. It was off. Her CD player was _never_ off. Not playing, occasionally, but never off.

"Why aren't you going to turn your CD player on?" she asked. Abby shrugged her shoulders, still not talking. Ziva walked over to it and turned it on. A song started to play, but instead of a happy Abby turning around and smiling gratefully, when she finally faced Ziva, it was one of ravaged pain.

"Don't play that one," she ordered in a hollow voice. Having finally caught onto her mood, she obeyed. She quickly left the lab, shaken by the look in her eyes. It wasn't angry, but an intense emotion quite unknown to her. What happened to Abby? She wondered, sitting at her desk and checking for messages. McGee stood nearby, looking troubled and regretful.

"You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Abby, would you, McGee?" she asked lightly, hoping that it was nothing.

"N-nothing," he stuttered. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Stop it, I know that you're lying," she said, gazing at him levelly. McGee hesitated. After a minute, he spoke, his voice shaking slightly.

"W-well, you see…Abby had a huge fight last night, and after some time I couldn't take it anymore and just broke up with her," She leapt to her feet, just as Tony joined in the conversation.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" he asked, hanging up the phone. McGee shook his head, ignoring him.

"What?" Ziva growled. "You can't just…end a relationship when you have your first fight! That's not how it works at all!" She couldn't believe him for doing such a thing.

"It is when the girl is-" McGee chocked on his words, unable to finish. "It doesn't matter why…what's done is done. I'm not turning back because I should feel _sorry_ about it. Like you said, regret is for the weak," He crossed his arms. Ziva snorted.

"I never said that," she argued. Gibbs strode out, looking fierce and businesslike.

"Dead Marine isn't dead, let's go," he shouted. Ziva and Tony exchanged a knowing glance. Time to go. But Gibbs pointed over at Kate.

"You're going with Agent David," he ordered, causing a slightly deflated Tony to sink back into his chair. The remainder of the afternoon passed uneventfully, except the strange moment when Abby came out in the same moment that McGee left. She spoke with the Director briefly before returning to her lab. To entertain himself, Tony tried to call Ducky.

"Mister DiNozzo, I highly suggest for you not to call me during an important autopsy lesson I am giving to these interns at the moment," he told him, which greatly disappointed Tony as he hung up. As evening approached, Ziva and the others returned, but at that point he had left to go home for the night with the thought that he wouldn't be needed for the remainder of the day.

"Well that was exciting," Kate said brightly, still full of energy despite her sprained ankle. She leaned on Ziva for support. Gibbs held her crutches from the hospital.

"Seriously, who trips over a telephone wire?" Ziva asked rhetorically. Kate laughed halfheartedly, wincing as she tried to put weight on her injured ankle. Gibbs wordlessly handed her the crutches and headed down to Abby's lab. McGee was nowhere to be seen.

"So, how are Abby and McGee?" Kate asked after a moment of silence. She readjusted her crutches and started for her desk. Ziva hesitated.

"I-well, I spoke with Abby about it…she didn't say anything, but McGee managed to admit her broke up with her. It must have been last night because just yesterday Abby was so bouncy and happy and herself. Now…" Kate nodded sympathetically.

"She must be taking it really hard," she said. Gibbs returned, looking evidently troubled about something. He ignored the two girls and headed straight for the Director's office. They looked at each other, and saw their expression mirrored in the other's face.

"I…ought to check on Abby," Ziva said faintly.

"Should I join you?" Kate offered quietly. Ziva shook her head.

"No. I'm doing this alone. Why don't you get on home? It's getting late, and it doesn't look like we have anything else to do for today." That managed to convince her. She grabbed her crutches.

"Right. See you Monday, Ziva."

_Abby's lab_

"Abby? Are you in here?" Stupid question, Ziva thought.

"When am I not in here?" was her response. She was lounging in a far corner in the very back. There was something off in her eyes, in the way she couldn't seem to exactly meet Ziva's gaze straight on. The CD player was still silent. Abby's night black hair seemed more dingy than cheerful, as was her expression. It was blank and unreadable. But her eyes were what said it all…Ziva stared and stared but couldn't seem to find an end to the misery she saw there. Finally, she threw herself around Abby.

"Oh, Abby, I'm so sorry about what happened!" she exclaimed. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Instead of her hugging back, she stiffened and seemed to lean away from the contact.

"Ah…no. Not at the moment," she said. "I think I just need to be alone right now," There it was again. That look. What could cause such…Ziva shook her head, clearing it.

"Are you sure? I'm not leaving for another hour, but you can contact Gibbs if you need him. He stays until long after the Director checks out, even. I'm sure he'd be happy to listen…" Abby didn't seem to be listening, rather, she turned to her computer and started going through old photos she saved on there.

"I'd rather if you just leave right now," she said softly, not sounding like herself at all. "Please. I just want to be alone," Ziva left at last, worried about her friend and how the old Abby seemed to be lost deep down somewhere. Hopefully she'd perk up by next week or so.

Abby stared long and hard at the photo in front of her. It was a picture of McGee the day before she found out the news that made him break her heart. It wasn't any news, but The News. The kind of news most guys don't want to face. Pregnant. She winced at the word. It was such an ugly, unnatural word to represent something so beautiful and natural. The miracle of birth. She sighed sadly, gazing longingly at his smile. How she wished that a smile would easily come to her again as usual. But, it seemed to be lost along with her virginity.


	2. Secret

**A/n: I still don't own NCIS, but if I did, it would be all Abby/McGee romance in the underlines of the plot. But that's just me. If there are any guesses/ suggestions you readers would like to make, be my guest. Nobody's stopping you. Just please keep the flame reviews to a minimum. I might not listen to all of them, but I promise I'll read them. Review, review, review! And above all…do not go to Tony for romantic advice. Ever.**

Chapter 2- Secret

Everyone thinks I'm the bad guy, McGee thought as he drove through security that morning. Well, hopefully he'd be able to prove them wrong.

"I've already broken one rule, I can't break another," he said to himself in reassurance, parking the car and getting out. Besides, it's better for her to move on. No way would he be right for her in the long run, what with their dangerous jobs putting everyone in danger every day, including them. But sometimes McGee wondered if their paychecks were worth it. He was so deep in thought on the elevator that he didn't notice the Director on his way out.

"You do know it's Saturday, right?" Director Sheppard said. McGee shrugged.

"Murderers don't have days off," was his calm response. "So why should I have one?" She rolled her eyes and got on the elevator just as he got off.

_Far away from NCIS_

"I have located Dr. Hernandez," Ziva whispered into her walkie-talkie.

"Good. I need you to terminate him," Gibbs instructed. "Use your sniper, because it already should have the silencer attached," She slowly crawled forward in the grass, adjusting the position of her sniper. She was well prepared for this mission, given that she was wearing camouflage to blend into the grass and dirt like a chameleon. The serial killer was just yards away and completely unaware of her existence. Ziva carefully aimed the sniper toward the base of the spine…when her cell phone vibrated. Dr. Hernandez shifted slightly to the right, continuing a conversation with his partner. She cursed under her breath and answered the phone.

"What, Kate?" she growled. "I'm a little busy right now. You trying to get me killed?"

"Sorry, Ziva! I meant to call someone else…" The phone went dead. Ziva looked back at her target. He was still there.

"…and we shall adjust the blue prints. Carlos, make it look like it was poor planning with the constructers. Do not hesitate to kill any members of NCIS that get in your way," he was saying. Ziva pulled the trigger without any hesitation. The large man stopped mid-sentence and collapsed. In a second, he was dead. Ziva squirmed through the grass and killed the assistant as well for good measure. The she melted into the bushes as if nothing had happened.

_Abby's apartment_

Abby wearily stared at the date on the calendar. Today is Saturday. Not even one week yet, but Thursday night already felt to her like a million years ago. Sighing heavily, she got out of bed at last. Her phone rang, and she answered it at once.

"Hey, Kate. What's up?"

"I…heard about what happened, Abby," she said. "Is everything…?"

"Everything's fine," she answered, too quickly. Kate paused, analyzing her answer.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I'm sure. All's quiet on the home front,"

"All right then. Let me know if you need to talk," She hung up. Abby immediately went over to her computer, intending to work on a computer program she had started to create last night. But the second she got over there, all she could think about was Mc-him. Her energy left her, and all she wanted to be laying in bed. So she did. Luckily there was a television nearby. She turned it on to a drama show that she liked. Abby lost track of the time, absorbed in the marathon. Her cell phone rang again. She ignored it, getting up to go find a snack. She managed to find some frozen yogurt in the freezer. Half a serving later, her phone rang yet again. This time, she answered it, knowing it was Kate.

"Abby, I really think we should talk. Is there a place we can meet?"

"My apartment is fine enough," Abby said. "I'm not going anywhere this weekend." Kate hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"All right. I'll see you soon," The phone went dead. Abby turned back to the TV, but didn't feel like watching it anymore. She turned it off and went to go get a shower. The heat and steam cleared her head and seemed to make the pain fade away momentarily. She quickly got dressed, brushed her teeth, and was just blow-drying her hair when there was a knock on the door. She put down the hair dryer and ran to go get the door. There stood Kate.

"Hey, Abbs," she said, smiling nervously. She had never been in Abby's apartment before, though she knew where it was located. Gibbs gave her directions to the place in case she needed to be there as security at any time. Abby let her in and went back to the bathroom to brush her hair. Kate went to sit on the couch in the living room. After a minute, she came out, feeling clean and refreshed, not at all like this morning.

"Hi, Kate. Don't you have an assignment today?" She shook her head.

"The mission was given to Ziva. From what I heard, she was successful and had no trouble," Abby nodded, accepting this information. She sat on the couch next to Kate.

"I…was wondering," Kate said slowly. "What did it feel like? Being with him, I mean," Abby hesitated, thinking it over. Her mind traveled back to a week before the split, a Monday night…

_Flashback_

_**McGee laughed. His laugh was pleasant, like a summer breeze after running all day. Abby smiled. One month and three weeks together and they were already doing this? But there was no time frame for love, she thought, looking at him with content. Love also knew no limits apparently.**_

"_**You sure you want to do this?" he asked quietly, climbing into bed with her. "Sex before marriage isn't advised, you know," She rolled her eyes. Such a rule follower, she thought.**_

"_**Only if you think we should," she breathed into his ear, enjoying his mere presence so close to hers. Her world was a light burning brighter and brighter. And that world was nothing but McGee at this point.**_

"_**Well…here goes," he said, snuggling closer to her. Time had no meaning as they did nothing but lay on top of each other for whole minutes at a time. There were so many new sensations for Abby to comprehend and absorb. But, after a time, she rolled over onto her back.**_

"_**Whoa…" he said. It pretty much summed up what she was feeling too. Sometimes she thought he could read her mind, according to some of the things he did or said to make her feel better, whether it was on purpose or not. That was one of the things she loved about him.**_

"_**You were a virgin?" Abby asked, amused. She was too, before tonight, but he didn't have to know that.**_

"_**Were you?" he returned, smiling in the low lighting. She just smiled back, kissing him. He immediately responded, continuing their wonderful evening right where it left off. If love was so incredible, why did it have to be so forbidden in so many ways?**_

Abby shook her head, clearing it. "I…well, it was incredible," she admitted, looking down at her lap. "The most wonderful thing I ever experienced,"

"Was there anything else that happened?" she asked.

"I…no, no there wasn't," Kate didn't quite believe her, but let it go for now. Everyone had their own secrets to keep, but it looked like Abby's were too big to hide. At least, not forever. She had to confess sometime. But confess what, was the question. Kate wasn't even sure she had anything to confess, but something in her eyes suggested there was more to the story than what was already told. Something major. She shook her head and sighed.

"Okay…if you say so," she said finally. "But it's time to move on, you know? Get on with your life as if nothing had happened. Moping about won't do you any good. Are you trying to set yourself up for a depression?" Abby blinked in surprise.

"No, not at all," she exclaimed. "You have no idea what he left me with to think about, what thing he-" She stopped suddenly, her gaze shifting slightly. Kate narrowed her eyes.

"You just have no idea what I'm dealing with right now," she finished.

"Okay, what are you dealing with?" Kate demanded. When she said nothing, Kate sighed in frustration and left her there alone. Let her suffer, if she won't talk, she thought bitterly. Silence only creates a worse punishment for secrets. But as she started her car, she felt a small twinge of guilt. Maybe she shouldn't have left like that. Abby probably needed her. She'll talk to her in a couple days. Maybe then she'd be ready to talk. Yes, that was it. By the time Kate made it back to NCIS, the guilt was gone as mysteriously as it had come. As she approached Ziva's desk, she abruptly put something away. Everyone had secrets, something to hide. The only question was, who's secrets were worth being told?


	3. Memory

**A/N: I'd like to thank you all for sticking around so far. It's about to get more interesting from here…hehehe.**

Chapter 3- Memory

By Monday, everything seemed to have returned to normal. Or had it? Over the course of the week, Kate observed not only the behavior of Abby, but McGee too. They avoided each other so effectively and completely you'd think they were enemies. But Kate knew better, so she decided to kick up her investigation a notch. She went straight into Abby's lab Friday morning. Abby looked strange. Her eyes seemed off focus as she worked.

"Oh, hello," she muttered, taking a sip of Caf-Pow. "Tell Gibbs I'm getting started on the new case," Kate nodded.

"I'm not here about the case," she said hesitantly, watching her friend carefully. What could McGee have possibly done other than break up with her to cause her to be like this?

"I have nothing else to tell you that you could possibly be interested to hear," Abby replied lightly, looking carefully over the evidence. "Why the persistence, anyway?" Kate shrugged, trying to remain casual.

"Just…concerned," she said slowly. "You don't seem like yourself," At this, Abby gave her a look that seemed uncharacteristically angry and annoyed.

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't bee the person everyone expects me to be all the time," she snapped. "If you aren't here about the case, I suggest you leave at once," Kate backed out of the lab, afraid to anger her further.

"Is there a problem?" Ziva asked.

"Only that Abby is starting to act a lot like you," she muttered, heading back to her desk. Curious, she decided to check on Abby. But the door was locked tight. She knocked lightly. Abby turned up the music. Wait a minute…music. Her CD player was on! But…why was she ignoring Ziva?

"I'm a little busy right now," Abby shouted over the music without looking at her. Ziva sighed and just left. She didn't want to get involved with whatever _that_ was.

_McGee's apartment_

"Leave me alone," McGee whispered, staring at the phone like it was going to attack him at any second.

"Just-just go away!" The phone rang. It was _her_ again.

"No!" he screamed, slamming it shut and crawling into a corner. For the longest time, he sat there and stared fearfully at the device. It did not ring again. Shuddering, he returned to work as if nothing had happened. He had no idea how long this had been going on. Weeks, maybe. Or possibly...months. When he was at his desk again, a very angry Gibbs was standing there to greet him.

"Learn to answer you phone, probie," he said, glaring furiously. He strode into the Director's office and slammed the door shut. McGee's cell phone rang again. He groaned, putting his head on the desk.

"Something wrong, McGee?" Ziva asked. He just moaned again. The dreaded phone sat innocently on his desk, mocking him. Ziva tentatively approached him and picked up his phone. She took a look at the screen.

**12 missed calls**

"Who's calling you so much?" she wondered aloud. He said nothing, but kept his head down. She pressed a button and discovered all the calls were from the same person. She vaguely remembered the girlfriend McGee broke up shortly before he went out with Abby, but was too preoccupied at the time he told her that she didn't think much of it. Now, she was able to bring up the memory at will.

_Flashback- Five months ago_

_**Ziva lounged lazily at McGee's desk. It was a slow day today with the case quickly wrapping up and nobody having anything to do other than wait around for the next order from Gibbs. And even he didn't have much to do. Summer sometimes did that to people. McGee returned from Abby's lab and found Ziva there.**_

"_**What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, putting his hands on his hips.**_

"_**Sitting, playing darts with Tony, what about you?" she responded, aiming the next dart over his head and at the wall. She threw it at the bulls'-eye, and he ducked in panic. It made the mark exactly for the third time in a row.**_

"_**No fair," Tony complained. "You get an advantage for having been a Mossad," She shrugged and went to go retrieve her dart. When she got back, McGee was staring at a photo on his desk.**_

"_**Who's that?" she asked curiously, pointing at the picture frame.**_

"_**My ex-girlfriend," he answered without looking up. "I told her a week ago it was over between us, but she doesn't believe it. She continues to call me every night…" Ziva shrugged.**_

"_**It'll pass," she said, not concerned. "I'm sure all will blow over within a week or so," He shook his head.**_

"_**It's been a week," he stressed, seeming determined. "So what do I do?"**_

"_**Certainly don't panic," she said, chuckling. "She must be in shock. Just calmly explain to her why you ended things with her and I'm sure she'll understand and eventually leave you alone, McGee," **_

"_**Thanks, Ziva," Tony threw another dart at the wall, missing the target by centimeters.**_

"_**How do you do this?" Tony complained loudly. "You don't even seem to aim at the target, you just throw the dart like a javelin," Ziva laughed and went over to him with her dart in hand.**_

"_**Here," she said, putting the dart into Tony's hand. "You have to really feel it, and then thrust it like a knife, and then…" She took the dart back and demonstrated. It hit the bulls'-eye with no trouble, as if there were a magnet attracting it to its goal. McGee watched with a mild amused interest.**_

"_**What was your girlfriend's name, buy the way?" she asked him.**_

"_**Oh, it was-"**_

Of everything that had happened, Ziva couldn't remember what happened after that. She could never be bothered with details like that. She tried again.

_Resume Flashback_

_**McGee got interrupted by the Director coming out to inspect things. Tony hurriedly put away the darts and the target before she could see them. McGee shoved his phone into his pocket. The only one who didn't do anything was Ziva. During this whole occurrence, Kate was quietly working in the background. Now she looked up at the Director and smiled.**_

"_**Good afternoon, Director," she said. "How are things?" Director Sheppard ignored her, resuming her inspection.**_

"_**Anything to report?" she asked wearily. Everyone shook their heads and went on with their activities. Tony searched through his drawers for another game. McGee got out his personal laptop and worked on a new novel. Ziva picked up her favorite novel and began to read.**_

"_**Must be a slow day…" she commented, observing the team. The only one who was productive was Kate. She printed something out and handed it to the Director.**_

"_**Oh, thank you. I'll be sure to examine this…" The Director went into her office and shut the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Ziva put the book down went over to McGee's desk. He closed his laptop and looked up.**_

"_**Okay, her name is Victoria Rakia. This is what she looks like," He held the picture up. Ziva examined it critically. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes so brilliant they unnerved her slightly. She had an average tan and a smallish button nose in the exact center of her face. Her mouth was also small, and the corners were turned up in a secretive smile. But those eyes…Ziva shuddered and replaced the photo. She wouldn't trust that girl for anything, not even to go to the vending machine and get the right candy bar. Not because she looked dumb, but because she looked so innocent. Too innocent. Ziva knew from experience just from looking into people's eyes to know whether they were trustworthy or not. And this Victoria person…the bright green that gazed into her soul straight on was definitely not trustable.**_

"_**I see why you broke up with her," she said finally.**_

"I…so, this Victoria is still after you?" she asked hesitantly. He didn't say anything. Ziva scrolled through his call history, and gasped in surprise.

"Oh my God…" she said, staring at the number of missed calls and voicemails in just the past the past five months.

**Victoria- Speed Dial #4**

**Missed calls: 47**

**Voicemails: 22**

Sometimes she wondered if her flawless memory was a good thing. Those green eyes seemed to gleam up at her through the phone right at that moment. She staggered back, dropping his phone. McGee wearily got up to retrieve it. Kate was over at her desk, completing the image of what everything looked like all summer. The only thing missing was Tony, but he was out in the field with Gibbs. She sighed and went to go talk to Kate. They managed to keep the conversation casual, and didn't mention Abby even once. But then Kate said something that reminded her that she should be worried.

"Haven't you noticed anything different about everyone here?" she asked. "It seems like the summer changed a lot of people. You, me, McGee, Abby…Who knew that Paris could-" She was cut off by Gibbs coming out of the elevator with Tony.

"Abby's got something," he shouted, heading over. "Turns out Hernandez had an accomplice. New lead is a Canadian solider. Ziva killed a hit man who had a hit man after him. And this new guy is a hit man close to the guy who got the hit man,"

"I…got none of that," Kate said, a confused look on her face.

"McGee, Dinozzo, you're with me," he continued, pointing at each of them. They followed him out, with McGee leading the way this time.


	4. Poisoned

**A/N: Disclaimer—If I owned this…I wouldn't be here, would I? Thank you for reviewing. I'll respond to a couple.**

**historygirlc3, my first reviewer: Thanks so much for reading my fan fiction so far. **

**RomanceDoneWrite: I enjoy McGee as well. I think he and Abby are the perfect pairing.**

**And now I give you Chapter 4! Let the drama continue…**

Chapter 4- Poisoned

Thankfully the _whole_ day hadn't been lost to what she wanted to do. Abby eagerly opened the Internet and scrolled through her bookmarked pages. This was going to be interesting…she clicked on the link and a hundred names stared her in the face. Oh no. How was she going to do this? She closed her eyes and chose a name at random. Sally. Too common. She tried again. Rachael. Nope. Bailey. Too tomboy. Hannah. No…Twenty-seven names later, Abby had a throbbing headache that was killing her. She left the lab and went into the bathroom to take some aspirin. She came back and resumed her activities. When she returned, there was an opened water bottle sitting there on the lab table.

"That's strange…" she murmured. "I could've sworn I left it over there by the computer. Must be losing my mind," She thought nothing of it and took a sip out of it. The water tasted slightly sweetened for some odd reason, but it didn't even cross her mind.

_Meanwhile…_

Tony and Ziva quietly observed their boss interrogating the Canadian solider. Ziva was attempting to learn his techniques and quirks during the process, but Tony kept interrupting her.

"This totally reminds me of-"

"—Spy vs. Spy. I've heard this from you a thousand times," Ziva said heavily, getting annoyed. Gibbs started shouting in French at the Canadian.

"I didn't know the boss spoke French," Tony said, being the ignorant person he was.

"It's a simple language, captain," Ziva replied, using her Israeli accent. "Try this on for size: vous êtes un désagrément ignorant de lard," Tony hesitated before answering.

**A/N: Translation- you are an ignorant pigheaded annoyance. Oh yeah, Ziva showed him!**

"Something about an annoying pig…" he muttered, working on the translation. "Paris changed you too, didn't it?" Before Ziva could answer, McGee entered the hallway, humming to himself. Kate was a few paces behind him.

"The whole gang minus Abby is here," she commented, looking around. Kate said nothing, but instead headed straight for the coffee machine. She filled up two coffee cups and handed one to McGee. He took it gratefully, looking more tired than usual.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Just giving Tony a little lesson in French…" she winked at him before leaving. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm not ignorant!" he shouted after her retreating back. Kate chuckled under her breath, taking a sip of coffee.

"I ought to check up on Abby," she said after a minute. "See you in a few," She smiled at him on her way out. McGee just stared. She smiled like Abby sometimes, when she wasn't trying so hard to be vain. He shook his head, clearing it. What was wrong with him? Gibbs came in and found him staring at his coffee.

"McGee, we have a new lead. Come on," He gestured toward the elevator. McGee sighed and followed him out.

_Abby's lab_

Finally, inspiration struck. A boy's name and a girl's name. She hurriedly wrote them down and stuffed the piece of paper somewhere just as the sliding glass door opened, revealing Kate with a cup of coffee in her hand. She smiled at the sight of her, closing the drawer the paper was hidden in as Kate came further into the lab.

"I never get tired of this place," she said. Abby spun around to the CD player and turned it on.

"Yeah, I don't have anything for Gibbs yet, but you can tell him I'm working hard. Is he out on a new lead?"

"Why, yes. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," She shrugged her shoulders. There was nothing but the sound of music from the CD player. It has been awhile since she could actually appreciate what was left of the memory of their love. This CD was the last evidence they were ever together as a couple. Well, that and…Abby shook her head, clearing it. She had to stop thinking about it, obsessing over it. Time to move on for good this time. She clenched her teeth and started typing an email to Ziva to see how things were doing on the case.

"So, I heard there was a new movie playing that you might be interested in," Kate said after a while. Abby shrugged, continuing to type as if nothing had happened.

"It better not be a happily ever after fairytale romance, because I assure you, there is no such thing," she snapped without looking over at her.

"I never said there was. Calm down," Abby crossed her arms. All she wanted was to be alone. Why could no one give her what she asked for? The song changed, morphing the atmosphere of the room slightly. Kate finished off her coffee and searched for a trash can. She finally found it in the back corner of the lab. Abby took a sip from the water bottle, briefly wondering why it tasted a little off. When Kate came back, she was reading the label.

"Hey, did the filters change or something for this company?" she asked, scanning though the chemicals used to purify the water.

"Uh…no. Why?"

"No reason…" She set the bottle down and turned back to the computer. Looks like Ziva replied to the email already. Before she could do as much as respond to it, she started to feel a little warm. Not extremely hot, but as if she were wearing one too many jackets on a sunny day. She knew her lab coat was generally thin, but it was mostly cotton and polyester. She sighed and tried to ignore it. Of course, Kate tried to bring him up again.

"McGee was your first true love, wasn't he?" she asked.

"Yep," she relied briefly, opening Don't Shoot the Puppy and started shooting that puppy to blow off her irritation.

"So, did you sleep with him?" she continued, feebly trying to be casual. Abby spun around and gave her such a withering look that she didn't ask again.

"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing and looking down at her feet. "Too personal," Guilt colored her cheeks more darkly than usual. The heat was increasing in minute degrees, and her palms started to sweat a little. Abby frantically wiped them on her jeans and went back to her game. Seeing that she didn't want to talk, Kate left the lab and returned to her desk. There sat Ziva, blocking Tony from stealing another item.

"Get back to your desk!" she shouted, holding Kate's cell phone out of his reach. He jumped and made a grab for it.

"Let me see what her wall paper is," he insisted, scrolling through the phone. "It'll only take a second," Kate snatched her phone back and punched him on the arm. He rubbed his arm, muttering curses under his breath. The Director passed through and headed down to the autopsy lab to get her annual report from Ducky. It was strictly ritual, something that had to be done to show the other businesses they weren't complete slobs with their records. Like the FBI and CSI, for example. Kate ignored her and opened an online game of solitaire. A dialogue popped up, showing that Ziva was logged into an IM chat. Curious, she accepted the invite to see what she had to say.

**Guns and roses: I was speaking with McGee earlier and learned something very important that should be looked at immediately.**

**Pink hearts: Is it about the case?**

**Guns and roses: No it is not**

**Pink hearts: Oh, then what is it?**

The elevator opened, and Kate looked up to see Abby passing by. She returned her attention to the computer screen.

_Telltale wants to join the IM_

_Pink hearts has accepted Telltale into the chat_

**Pink hearts: What do you want, Tony?**

**Telltale: How did you know it was me?**

**Guns and roses: Because we can see you laughing from all the way over here. Plus, there are only so many of us with an account. Abby and McGee have one, and their usernames are just as obvious as yours. "telltale" is so like you.**

**Telltale: You're one to talk. Guns and roses? It's obvious that you're not Gibbs…and the Director isn't one to be reduced to childish things like this.**

**Pink roses: You just admitted this is childish.**

_Gummygothic wants to join the IM_

**Guns and roses: What the heck? Abby?**

**Pink hearts: You know she doesn't have much to do right now.**

**Guns and roses: What makes you say that, Kate?**

**Pink hearts: Because I saw her playing Don't Shoot the Puppy. She might have just been frustrated, but who knows really?**

_Guns and roses has accepted Gummygothic into the chat_

**Guns and roses: What's up, Abby?**

**Telltale: Yes, do tell what's up…**

**Guns and roses: Shut up**

**Telltale: :P**

**Pink heats: Oh, I wonder if that thing loaded up.**

**Guns and roses: What thing?**

**Telltale: Yeah, what thing?**

**Pink hearts: The one I told you about.**

**Telltale: Uh…what?**

**Guns and roses: Oh. That thing. I'll check it out in a minute.**

**Telltale: You're making no sense…**

**Gummygothic: What was that movie you were talking about, Kate? Was it the one about the imperial spy?**

**Telltale: Which one? There are a million of them.**

**Pink hearts: No. The other one, with the guy from that one thing…remember?**

**Telltale: What are you talking about?**

**Guns and roses: You wouldn't get it. I know which one she's talking about, though. I'll show you the playing times later. In the meantime, who want to go out for lunch? It looks like the Director doesn't have anything planned for us right now. Leave a note in case she panics, Tony. You need something to do besides interrupting our conversation.**

**Telltale: On it.**

_Telltale has logged out_

_Guns and roses has logged out_

**Pink hearts: You doing okay, Abby? You haven't said much.**

_Gummygothic has logged out_

_Pink hearts has logged out and terminated the chat_

Abby went into the bathroom to splash some water onto her face. The water she was drinking only made her feel thirstier. Besides, it was empty anyway. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. The dizziness came and went in unexpected waves. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead, and she wiped it off with the back of her hand. Maybe she was going crazy, but it seemed like her vision was getting blurry. Was it? Abby swayed back and forth on her feet, trying to remain upright. Her breath came in quick pants, as if she were running a race. _What is wrong with me?_ She thought. She cautiously felt her forehead. It was clammy and damp. She shuddered and splashed more water on her face to clear her head. It seemed to help, but only for a second. She felt unbearably hot, and struggled to take the lab coat off. As it fell to the floor, she heard a knock at the door. She held her breath, waiting to see what happened next. Silence. Then another knock, louder this time. Not her imagination. Abby waited a little longer, hoping to be left alone.

"Abby? Are you in there?" It was Ziva.

"Yes," she whispered.

"You've been in there a while…are you ill?"

"No, I'm fine, I just…" She sucked in a breath, wanting the dizziness to go away so she could think clearly. "I just need to-" The lock turned, and Ziva came in. Oh no, she thought.

"You don't look so good," she said. "You sure that everything's all right?"

"Yes…" Ziva looked doubtful.

"You look about ready to pass out. Maybe you should sit down," She helped her into a chair out in the hall. Concerned, she felt her friend's forehead. A little warm, nothing to be worried about. Abby closed her eyes to take a nap. She felt her pulse. A little faster than normal…Ziva frowned. Her forehead was clammy and slightly damp from water. Suddenly, Abby started wildly coughing. It wasn't just the normal, choking on air kind of coughing either.

"I…can't breathe!" she gasped between coughs. Ziva whipped out her cell phone and dialed 911.

"Hello? I'm calling from NCIS, and we have an emergency!" she shouted into the receiver.


	5. Sleeping

**A/N: I am amazed at the overwhelming response of this story so far. I have never had so many people at once begging for me to update.**

**Disclaimer: Uh…running out of ways to say this…but you get the point.**

Chapter 5- Sleeping

McGee, having heard the news, forgot about everything but Abby. He rushed into the hospital, determined to be the first one to see her. He found her in the first room he walked into. There she was, fast asleep on the bed. All those worried lines she wore throughout the day had vanished in sleep. Her black hair was no longer in pigtails, but gently flowed down to her shoulders. McGee examined Abby's face. Her customary make-up had been removed, revealing her natural beauty. What he loved most about hr, though, was all that hair. He could brush his hand through it all day long. He sat down in a chair and dragged it toward the bed to get a better look. Even up close, she was a thing of beauty. He didn't know why she relied on eye liner and foundation to hide who she really was. He started to reach for her hand, but had to restrain himself. No. She was his no longer. Which should make him happy, right? Somehow, he felt he should hold her hand anyway, to play the role of the concerned friend. So, he gently took her hand in his, trying not to think about the last time he had touched her and what it had resulted in. Her hand was warm, but not too warm. It felt nice, anyway. He leaned forward, scrutinizing Abby's face. Was that a smile? Did she like him holding her hand? He leaned further, nearly losing his balance. Suddenly, his lips were on hers with more boldness than we would've had if she were awake. He just shut his eyes and went with the moment. When he pulled back, her eyes were open. Oh, crap. Back to reality. He yanked his hand back and hurriedly stood up.

"McGee? What are you doing here?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. McGee did the logical, intelligent thing. He ran out of the room, nearly tripping over his own feet in his panic. No, no, no! He blindly ran out into the rain, ignoring whoever looked at him funny. I can't, I can't I can't! Never again!

**A/N: That was kind of a filler, but I like the McAbby moment there!**

(line break)

Abby was entirely confused. She had the strangest dream…something about McGee…she sighed and shook her head. It was probably nothing. What was he doing so close to her face anyway? It was almost as if he was-

"Abby? What did you do to poor McGee?" Ziva said, interrupting her thoughts. She shrugged, sitting up to get a better view of her surroundings.

"Who knows?" she mumbled. "I was asleep most of the time he was in here anyway. It's not like I provided any entertainment for him, anyway,"

**A/N: Hehehe the irony of THAT statement…sorry for the shortness of this chapter. They can't ALL be super long.**


	6. Pieces

**A/N: I, mysterywriter94, promise to never take credit for having owned said show NCIS without the legal permission of the genius Belisarius. Oooh that sounded so legal and official! Does anyone have a pen so I can sign it? Anyone?**

Chapter 6- Pieces

McGee ran and ran and almost forgot about his car, but managed to find it and drive all the way back to NCIS without falling to pieces. He couldn't get the image of Abby waking up and finding him so close to her out of his head. But the thing that really struck him was her sleeping. Midnight princess…he shook his head, clearing it. Was he falling apart, or did his heart really ache for her? He sighed and parked the car in his usual spot. McGee turned off the car and got out, hoping he'd be able to get to work without any _distractions_. But the second he got out, he was cornered by _her_. Victoria Rakia.

"Hello, Timothy," Her green eyes gleamed dangerously. He remained strangely calm. How could he remain so calm in a life-and-death situation, but run away when he accidentally kissed someone? The world just doesn't work right anymore. Or maybe it was just him.

"What do you want?" he demanded. She shook her head sadly, taking a small step toward him.

"Now, that's not the proper way to greet someone," she chided. "I'm just making conversation, my dear," He narrowed his eyes. No way was she just here for _conversation_ when an NCIS agent was in the hospital.

"Why are you here?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders, taking another step forward.

"I'm here to cut a deal with you," she said, closing on him. "If you listen to every command I give you, nobody gets hurt,"

"And why should I listen to you?" he inquired coolly. She smiled, taking her hand and running it through his hair.

"Because, I don't think you'd want anyone else from NCIS gravelly injured. Now, Abby just got lucky. Her little friend was a little too observant for her own good. No worries, she'll pay the price for getting involved. But, you do know we were meant to be together and have children, right? That is why I'm here," His eyes widened, comprehension sinking in.

"N-no…" he stammered, Abby's face popping up into his head. Victoria frowned, pulling her hand back.

"No?" she repeated. "Are you telling me _no_?" He tightened his jaw and nodded. Victoria stepped back and put her hands on her hips. She was only five feet tall, but her anger possessed a lot of power to make up for the lack of height.

**A/N: Hm…that reminds me of someone…**

Her eyes flashed in defiance, and her mouth curled into a frown of disappointment. McGee stood his ground. Finally, she relaxed and looked at him with a sort of mild interest.

"Fine," she spat, turning on her heel and walking away. Somehow, McGee knew it was far from fine.

_Abby's lab_

"I am so mad!" Abby fumed to nobody, storming into her lab. "How could this happen? In my own lab! Oh, when I find out who did this…" She made no bother to finish her empty threat, that's how mad she was. There was the water bottle, sitting innocently on the desk.

"I hate you," she said to the water bottle, pulling on some latex gloves to get a sample of the poison. "I hate you, you stupid, deadly thing!" She ran the sample through and left the lab to go find Jethro.

"Gibbs! GIBBS! Where did you go?" No answer. She couldn't find anyone. Not even Tony or McGee. She frantically looked around. The place was deserted, except for…Kate! She ran over toward her.

"Hello Abby," she said, surprised. "I didn't know you were back already,"

"Where is everyone?" she demanded, getting straight to the point. Kate looked around and saw the empty desks.

"I don't know," she answered faintly. "I was only gone a few minutes, and they were all here…" Abby started to panic. She ran for the Director's office as a last resort. Empty. She cursed under her breath. Everything looked normal. Maybe…they autopsy lab! She headed for the elevator. Kate followed her, looking confused.

"You know, there's no reason to worry," she said. "I'm sure they're all just out on-" She stopped suddenly, staring at something Abby couldn't see. Her eyes were locked on the window. Abby followed her gaze and saw a note stuck there in the high window. Only someone really tall could reach it, like McGee. She made a grab for it, but missed by inches.

"Kate, could you try?" She nodded and managed to get the note down.

"Let's see what this says…"

_Abby,_

_If you're reading this, we've all gone out to dinner together. Except for Kate. She's supposed to keep you safe tonight. Sorry to alarm you like that._

_Gibbs and The Team_

Abby let the note fall to the floor, completely stunned. How could they leave her like this, when…?

"Abby? Abbs? You okay?" Something inside her snapped, and she angrily kicked the note aside. She strode away from Kate, intending to go back to her lab. Working was always a good way to vent her anger. But not today. Today, she was so furious she couldn't see straight.

"No! No, I'm not!" she shouted.

"Well, what's wrong?" She spun around to face her. All the pain and frustration showed in her face at that moment.

"Everything!" she yelled, startling her. Abby punched the down button and tapped her foot impatiently, wishing she had taken the stairs instead. Waiting is not something she wanted to do right now, especially when she felt about ready to explode. Finally, the doors opened with an annoying ding. She growled threateningly at the innocent elevator.

"Everything is wrong," she continued as if an elevator hadn't interrupted her. "All the things he said to me, all the ways he showed he cared…they meant nothing to him, but they meant everything to me! And yet he thinks he can go around and act like he cares about my welfare. Showing up at the hospital-" She frowned. Wait a minute. Something was not right with her memory. Her dream…his closeness…what was he doing in the last ten seconds? Falling toward her? The doors opened again, revealing her lab. She walked in slowly, deep in thought.

"You were saying…?" Kate called out, trying to get her attention. Abby stopped suddenly.

"I-there was something that happened at the hospital," she whispered, her voice faltering. "I think he kissed me, but I can't be too sure. I was asleep, after all," The anger melted away and was replaced by confusion. If only he hadn't run off like that, as if he was guilty of something. Of something like kissing her. On purpose, or on accident? She thought further back into her memory, but it was all fuzzy from being in between sleeping and waking. She clearly remembered the sound of something being dragged across the floor. Ziva was there in a chair she knew was previously across the room. She sighed, trying to remember the layout of the room. Three chairs close to the door. One of them was brought over to the bed. She wasn't sure why this mattered so much. A force must have pitched him forward, then. He lost his balance and kissed her by mistake.

"Yes, that was what happened," she said with more certainty now. She glanced at her computer screen. The results were in. She looked over at Kate, who seemed to be slightly distracted. She was staring at the CD player. Kate walked over to it and pressed a button. A song by a well known metal band blasted through the speakers. She smiled a little and started to read the information on the computer screen. The anger started to come back, in short little ripples, but was in full force by the time she got all the info she needed to know exactly what had nearly killed her.

"Let's go," she snarled, startling Kate. "I want revenge on this person who tried to kill me, and I want it ASAP,"

_A Washington, D.C. mall_

Ten stores, Tony thought wearily as he was dragged into yet _another_ clothing department. Why did he have to agree to this? Ziva smirked at his expression.

"Last stop, I promise," she said, immediately headed for the women's section. Tony sighed and tried to ignore the pounding headache trying to split apart his skull. He closed his eyes, begging for this shopping trip to be over already. Gibbs was already headed back to headquarters. McGeek was on some vacation out in…wherever. He hadn't heard from him since Abby got poisoned. Not that he particularly cared. Ziva came up behind him and poked his back.

"That didn't scare me this time," he called out, opening his eyes. "Can we go now? I have an insane headache,"

"Yes, Tony. Follow me out so you don't get lost," She winked and started for the door. Tony looked around, suspicious suddenly. He sensed movement to his right. He spun around and saw…an elderly woman with a large shopping bag. Whoops. That was his left. He looked the other way and saw nothing. Huh. Must be the headache talking. He left the store and managed to follow Ziva all the way to the parking lot with no difficulty.

"Did Abby find out what happened yesterday?" he asked, getting into Ziva's blue 2003 Porsche. "I heard that it was almost too late. Good thing you followed your instincts, Ziva," She said nothing, but started the car and began to back out. Tony settled into the seat for the short drive to headquarters. This shouldn't take too long, he thought.

"Yes, it is a good thing…" Ziva replied vaguely at last, concentrating on the road.

(line break)

Jethro managed to find a very unhappy Abby waiting to meet him when the elevator doors opened. This can't be good, he thought.

"I don't believe it…you scared the living daylights out of me! I thought something happened to you guys!" She hugged him fiercely. "I thought I was in on this alone!" He sighed.

"Got anything, Abby?" he asked wearily. It was the million dollar question he always got something out of.

"Of course I do, Gibbs," she replied matter-of-factly. "The poison was some kind of plant extract. Total _Romeo and Juliet_ moment here, without all the blood and gore. It was purchased from a black market owner two months ago. I will have the name of the buyer in just a moment," He smiled.

"Good, work, Abbs," he said, heading for the autopsy lab. She smirked, doing a brief victory dance on the way back to her lab.

**A/N: Okay. I think I have more plot elements worked out from here. Things should pick up soon…more action to come! A hint, keep an eye on McGee and/or Ziva if you want to know what might happen next! Until next time…adieu!**


	7. Watched

**A/N: Oh, I am SO TIRED. It's 3 in the morning, but I don't want to sleep. So I'm here, obsessively trying to get yet another chapter in. I'm really going to be feeling this lack of sleep later, but I've gone too far in to back out now. Why am I even rambling like this anyway? You're here to read something, right? Here is Chapter 7…yawn…**

Chapter 7- Watched

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The day seemed to drag on and on. It was a week after Abby got poisoned. An average, ho hum Thursday morning. Abby gritted her teeth against the horrible nausea. The person who bought the poison, Dexter Hanford, had been dead for six days already. A dead end in the case. Nobody was discouraged, though. These things happened all the time.

"Unngh…" She felt horrible. How long had she been here? Oh. An hour. Not long at all. She stumbled toward the bathroom. Kate silently watched her from a distance. Something was going on with Abby, all right. And it was more than just heartache. Some minutes later, she emerged, looking somewhat subdued.

"Hey Abby," she called out. "How's it going?" Abby smiled back halfheartedly.

"Fine," she said. "I need to get back to work, so we'll talk later, okay?" She nodded and went to go talk to Tony, who looked sullen and purposeless without Ziva there. McGee was nowhere in sight, which was unusual. Abby returned to her lab and found something mysterious on the floor. A long blonde hair that didn't seem to belong to anybody here in NCIS. Were they being watched? She ran the DNA scan, but couldn't seem to find any matches in the data base. She compared the DNA with the fingerprint on the edge of the water bottle. Bingo. One match.

"GIBBS!" she shouted. "Gibbs, I have something, get in here!" She ran out to the main office and found him talking to Tony and Kate.

"I've got something," she said, breathless. "You have to see this," He nodded.

"I'll be right back," he said, following her back to the lab.

"The DNA came up with one match," she started. "Looks like a Daniela Rakia," She squinted at the name next to the face. The woman had long blonde hair, a tan face, and soft blue eyes. According to her birth records, she had an identical twin. She wondered what this meant. Gibbs scanned the information on her and left the lab without another word. As soon as he was gone, Kate slipped through the gap before the door closed completely. She snuck up behind Abby and poked her in the neck. She screamed and jumped a foot in the air.

"Don't do that!" she whispered, rubbing her neck. "You could've scared me to death!"

"Sorry, Miss Scaredy Cat," she responded. "I didn't know you were easily triggered," She rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the humor.

"What could you possibly want that Gibbs didn't get?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"An answer as to why you've been acting all moody and weird lately. I know it's not the pain medications kicking in,"

"What? Pain medications? What are you talking about? The only pills I take are for—wait, how do you know I'm on medication?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Kate.

"I saw something fall out of your purse the other day," she replied smoothly. Abby clenched her jaw. She was being a little snoop! She couldn't afford to let this happen! Not after…she winced at the memory. It was still too bright and clear. She had to get rid of it, just like an old piece of clothing that didn't fit. She grimaced at the inadequate analogy.

"You little snoop," she accused, taking a step toward her. Kate took a step back, surprised by her anger. "How could you get into my business like that? You know I don't do things like this to people here, so why did you?"

"Seriously, Abbs. You're overreacting. It was just a mistake. I didn't mean to look through your stuff. You didn't even notice it fell, so I ran to go pick it up and happened to see the label. That's all that happened. I don't really even care what is actually going on. I just want to see if you're okay," That seemed to calm her down, but only slightly. They stared each other down for a minute before she relaxed completely.

"Well, I'm fine. Quit asking me, or else I'll start thinking that I'm not the one with issues here. Do you understand?"

"Yes…I do. I'll leave you alone,"

_An alleyway, just outside of Maryland_

Ziva frantically looked to her right. Nobody there…but who was following her? She could've sworn she saw something a moment ago. Feeling an unfamiliar panic rising, she cast her eyes toward the dark alleyway. She stared into the shadows. Wait, did something just move? Wary of her surroundings, she pulled the cloak more tightly around her and walked more quickly. Her Porsche was just a few feet away. The sound of echoing footsteps was just fifty feet back. She had to shake off her pursuer before they caught up to her. She shivered in the cold. It was supposed to snow tonight, according to the weather report. It almost made her miss sunny Israel. Almost. The footsteps were much closer now. She didn't turn around, afraid to see some drunken prostitute or rapist prowling about for his next victim. She shuddered, trying to get a hold of herself.

"Leave me alone," she said, her voice shaking with fright. "G-Go away!" She pulled out her gun and pointed it at her pursuer. It was empty, but they didn't have to know that. Her gun was pulled out of her hand and tossed into the bushes. She resisted a sigh of disappointment. Where was a Swiss Army Knife when you needed one? Still the figure came closer.

"I'll enjoy this…" a female voice said not ten feet away. Her appearance was masked by the mysterious darkness of the inner city. There was the sound of a gun being loaded. "I told him to listen to me, and now you'll pay the price for getting involved. The woman pulled the trigger. It was already too late to get out of the way. The last thing Ziva saw before closing her eyes was a flash of blonde hair. The bullet missed her by inches.

"Just kidding," the woman whispered. "I won't shoot you after all. Just think of this as a preview of all the fun I'm going to have," She chuckled darkly, disappearing into the shadows.


	8. Discoveries

**A/N: I really love where this is going…bring on Chapter 8! Woo hoo!**

Chapter 8- Discoveries

Ziva spoke nothing of the incident in the streets last night. At least she survived. McGee didn't show up for work again. By now it was unspoken that he had something personal to deal with. Tony, oblivious to the stressed atmosphere, continued with his antics throughout the day. Kate was unusually quiet. She continually glanced at the elevator door during her chess game, as if she was expecting something. Ziva watched her curiously. A moment later, it happened. Abby walked out of the elevator and headed straight for the bathroom. Kate was watching her so intently the she didn't notice Tony rearranging the pieces on the board. But why would she be interested in what Abby was doing? Things were generally quiet. Gibbs and Director Sheppard milled around, doing their own thing. They were mostly ignored by the team. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Why doesn't something happen?" she exclaimed out loud, startling even Gibbs in the back. He briefly glanced at her before heading for the elevator.

"Like what?" Kate asked lazily, moving a knight toward Tony's black bishop. He stared at the board and moved a pawn.

"Check," he muttered.

"Like a new case, the building blowing up, someone getting shot, something!" she said, her voice getting louder with each word. They ignored her, continuing on with their game. Abby passed by and skipped over to Gibbs. They spoke briefly.

"All right, see you later!" she said, gaily waving a goodbye as she skipped over to the elevator. Ziva went into the bathroom. The second the door shut behind her, she froze. That wasn't sitting there five minutes ago, she knew. It was a bottle of pills, half empty. She walked over to the counter and picked it up. Half of the label was torn off, but somehow she knew this was Abby's. Its use was still readable, though. For nausea and stomach cramps. She whipped out a cotton swab and took a sample of where the tear was on the label. Time to get nosy, she thought. As she came out, she ran into Abby.

"Uh…hi, Abby," she said nervously.

"Hello, Ziva. I just left something in there that belongs to me," She narrowed her eyes. Ziva calmly stared back. Interrogations never bothered her. She was good at hiding information. Apparently, so was Abby.

"What, your integrity?" she shot back coolly. This was unkind, seeing as Abby was normally an honest person. Abby rolled her eyes and shoved Ziva aside.

"Who asked you, anyway?" she returned with a voice that didn't sound like her at all. Ziva went over to her computer and started a new search. There was fifty prescriptions given out with medications for nausea and stomach cramps. Time to add Abby's name…she paused over the keyboard. Did she really want to know? She looked up and saw Abby talking to the Director now. She held up something to her, and the Director nodded. She ran off, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Ziva typed in Abby's name and pressed Enter without any hesitation. Forty-nine entries vanished in the blink of an eye. Kate laughed at something Tony said, leaning on his arm.

"Tell me the story again," she whispered, gazing into his eyes like a lover. He chuckled and started talking again.

"Okay, so it was a story night, on the last of my energy when Gibbs walked in the door…" Ziva smiled. Romance. It was a fickle thing. She sat there for a minute, remembering all the dates she had. They were nothing but a blur of mysterious faces and hands that reached where they shouldn't have. Of course, that was also when she used a gun for the first time. She glanced at her computer screen. The medication was purchased last week at the local pharmacy.

_Some random forest in Maryland near NCIS…_

"Where…where am I?" McGee asked, ripping off the blindfold. There was nothing but trees all around him.

"A place where they won't hear your screams if you don't cooperate…" Victoria breathed. "Now tell me, are you going to take care of the Director?" He nodded nervously, his throat going dry with fear. He felt sick at the thought of hurting his boss, but something had to be done to make her go away.

"Good…you're learning fast," she said, brushing her hand along his arm. He was afraid to look at her. Oh, God he felt awful. This was blackmail. Someone save me, he thought desperately. Victoria was quiet for a few minutes.

"Dispose of the Director, and you keep your girl," she said, melting into the trees. He took in a shaky breath. There was a muffled moan at his feet. McGee looked down.

"Get…Ducky…" Palmer called out weakly, coughing up blood. "She shot my lung…I can't breathe!" McGee took out his cell phone and rapidly pressed 1.

"Probie? Where have you been?" Gibbs demanded.

"Never mind that," he said quickly. "Palmer's been shot! You have to get over here!"

"Where are you, anyway?" he asked.

"I…" He looked around for a sign. There was one just a few feet away.

**Maryland State Park**

"Uh…Maryland Sate Park," he said. "Just needed to get away for a while. Sorry to worry you, boss. Bring Ducky by, it was Palmer's request," He hung up and tried to keep Palmer's torso elevated. Come on, he thought. Live, Palmer, live!

"Keep talking to me," he cried out. "Come on, buddy!"

"Who was that lady?" he slurred, more blood spewing out of his mouth. He was pale from blood loss. McGee took off his jacket and pressed it on the gunshot wound, keeping the pressure steady.

"Old friend of mine," he answered, counting the seconds. Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two…the jacket was starting to become soaked with blood. He pressed down harder, determined to save him. Palmer's breathing became labored.

"I…did you see her with anyone?" he asked, trying to distract him.

"No…" he whispered, his voice starting to give out. "She was alone. She was very fast. I could hardly get a glance at her. But I swear I saw her eyes were blue,"

"Blue?" he repeated faintly. "Not green?" He nodded, coughing. Thirty-seven, thirty-eight…how long was he supposed to hold this down again? Oh yeah, sixty seconds. Twenty more to go…

"Yes, I'm sure they were blue," he said.

"Then I don't know her…the one I know has green eyes. I have no idea who you're talking about," Finally the minute was up. He removed the jacket. The bleeding was more sluggish, but he would live now. A car pulled up. The side door opened, revealing Gibbs. He ran toward McGee to investigate.

"Nice job on stopping the blood flow. Ducky will take it from here. You take the car back, I have a ride on the way. Ducky, over here!" McGee headed for the car. The keys were still in the ignition. Ducky had already gotten out of the car. He put the car into reverse and pulled out of there. Time to head back to NCIS.

**A/N: Okay. The plot will really start to move forward in the next chapter. Wonder who that stranger was that shot Palmer, hm…-winks- Don't worry, she'll have an important part in the plot very soon…if you pay close enough attention.**


	9. Truth

**A/N: Disclaimer- If I really owned this, then I'm related to Santa Claus. Whatever.**

**Okay, so I think there are a great many of you in anticipation of what might happen next, so I'm not going to beat around the bush. Chapter 9…**

Chapter 9- Truth

Abby was getting ready to leave for another doctor's appointment, but was unfortunately stopped by Ziva. She was leaning against the wall and looked like she meant business.

_Uh oh, _she thought. _Now what does she want?_

"So, what's up with the medicine, Abby?" she asked in a too-casual voice. "You have an upset stomach every morning? You've also been acting really weird with all those mood swings. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were-"

"Don't say it!" she shouted, covering her ears. "Don't you _dare_ say it!"

"-pregnant," she finished triumphantly, stepping away from the wall. Abby slowly brought her arms down, looking fearful. She tried to get past the door, but was blocked by Ziva.

"I'm not leaving until I hear the truth," she said. Abby glared at her. How could she possibly just…open up and tell her? She was _terrified_ of Ziva, though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even Gibbs. She decided to try, but that fierce face caused her voice to shake.

"I…well…you see…" she stammered. Abby glanced at her computer for inspiration. Suddenly, a memory came to her that gave her an idea of how to begin. She resisted a smile, knowing that this was a serious situation. Ziva looked at her curiously.

"You want a virtual representation?" she offered, pointing at her computer. "Or do you want the full story, uncut?" She walked over to the computer, stroking the screen. It was her life, her soul, until she met McGee. What she would tell no one was that since she first laid eyes on him, she had a major crush. **A/N: I have NO IDEA where that came from! **Love at first sight did exist, she knew. But she never believed it, never understood its value until she lost it.

"You…you don't have to tell me the hard parts," Ziva said quietly. "Just tell me what happened the night you broke up with him, that's all I'm asking,"

"That _is_ the hard part. I've loved him ever since I first saw his face, which could be why it's harder on me than it normally would be. I'll try to tell this to you, if you promise not to interrupt,"

"I promise," the ex-Mosaad officer said. **A/N: by the way, that's the real spelling. I feel so stupid!**

"All right, this is what happened…"

_Flashback_

"_**Movie's over already?" McGee exclaimed. "Feels like we just walked in there. Of course, your lips distracted me for the last ten minutes. Not that I mind," Abby laughed, her face all aglow. She pecked him on the cheek. The drive home was peacefully quiet, giving Abby time to think about her future with him. They could get married, and move closer to NCIS. Ziva could be the maid of honor, or maybe Kate. She went into the apartment, closely followed by McGee. Abby drifted toward the bathroom. It was probably that time of the month again. She stopped at the box of tampons. Uh oh. No it wasn't. She pulled out her cell phone. The night she slept with McGee was her day. But that means…her eyes widened. No…it couldn't be! She had to make sure! She counted the days. Once. Twice. Again. McGee knocked on the door.**_

"_**I'm making tomato soup!" she shouted. "Do you want grilled cheese?" She opened the door and found herself an inch away from his face.**_

"_**Yes, I do," she said, kissing him on the lips. "I have some news, though. Sit at the table," He obeyed. She followed him out into the dining room and sat across from him. His face was eager.**_

"_**Tim, my period is late. I think I'm pregnant,"**_ _**she announced. Her statement was greeted with silence. The happy glow on his face melted away, revealing shock and disbelief.**_

"_**I…what?" McGee stuttered, trying to get a hold of himself. "Well, we have to get an abortion, right away! Let's go right now!" He pulled her up and started leading her to the front door. Abby yanked her hand back, alarmed.**_

"_**No, I want to keep the child," she protested. McGee paused.**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**You heard me," she replied calmly. "I want to keep the baby, because killing something before it deserves a chance at life is wrong," Something snapped inside McGee just then, and Abby shrank back in fear. He wordlessly started to pack, taking everything he had ever brought into the apartment during the time they had been together as a couple. All Abby could do was stare in horror. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening…they were supposed to be together forever! He said so himself that he'd never leave her. Yet here he was, packing the last of his belongings. He started for the door. Abby followed him.**_

"_**You-you can't do this!" she exclaimed, tugging desperately on his arm. "You promised that…that we'd be together forever. I trusted you," Her voice broke. He wrenched his arm out of her grasp. McGee opened the door.**_

"_**I can't deal with this anymore," he said, walking out and slamming the door behind him. There was nothing but silence. Abby robotically shuffled to the couch and laid on it. Her ears rand with the sound of the slamming door echoing in her ears over and over. The only thing that woke her up in the morning was remembering she had to go to work.**_

When Abby finished, she fearfully looked over at Ziva. She was staring thoughtfully into space. After a minute, she looked back over at Abby.

"That…would certainly explain a lot about you," she said softly. "Well, you don't have to be alone in this anymore. I promise that I'll be here for you," Gibbs ran in, panting for breath.

"Ziva, you have to get down there! Palmer got shot!" he shouted. She nodded and ran off for the autopsy lab. She remained where she was.

"I made a promise to Abby, and I'm keeping it," she replied boldly, standing her ground. He glared at her and left the lab. When he was gone, Ziva collapsed into a chair and put her head in her hands. Abby sat next to her. For a minute, she said nothing, letting her mind wander to the future. The child…it was going to grow up in a rough atmosphere. She named it after Gibbs's daughter Kelly. She hoped he didn't mind, since she babysat for her once. Such a sweet child she was, she thought. Hopefully this Kelly didn't end up meeting a similar fate.

"I'm sorry," Ziva said. Abby stared at her in shock.

"What?"

"I'm sorry,"

"I don't think you've ever apologized before," Abby remarked lightly. "But it's fine. I think it's me that should be sorry. You can be pretty frightening after all. Remember when we first met?" Ziva laughed, sitting up.

"How could I forget? Everyone was terrified of me," she said. "But the only one who had the guts to stand up to me on my fist day was you. That makes you braver than I am," Abby shook her head.

"No, you did something none of us could," she said.

"What would that be, Abby?"

"You stood up to Gibbs. That's practically a death sentence," she said seriously. Ziva looked at her. She's changed so much in the past few weeks. If only McGee could see her now.

"What are you naming the kid?" she murmured. There was a slight pause. Abby leaned into her ear.

"Kelly," The word was just a breath on the wind, but it surprised her all the same.


	10. Angry

**A/N: Disclaimer- Oops, I lost it! Oh no!**

Chapter 10- Angry

Ziva left Abby's lab eventually, extremely angry at the fact McGee would do this to her close friend. She furiously paced around the autopsy lab, wondering where that infuriating computer geek was located. She tried calling him, but he didn't answer the phone. He was nowhere in the office. Finally, she decided to ask Gibbs where he went.

"Where's McGee?" she barked at him, losing her patience.

"On an undercover mission the Director gave him," he responded. "What do you need him for?" She shook her head, but didn't answer. Ziva strode back to her desk and opened up the IM chat. Kate and Tony were online.

**Guns and roses: Get McGee into the chat**

**Telltale: Why?**

**Pink hearts: Yeah, why?**

**Guns and roses: Just do it, I don't know his username**

_Pink hearts has invited Rogerthat into the chat_

_Rogerthat has logged in_

**Rogerthat: What do you want, Kate? I'm busy right now. The Director wanted me to rob the police data base from the FBI and it's risky to talk right now.**

**Pink hearts: Oh. Sounds interesting.**

**Rogerthat: It's dangerous and I hope you don't have to end up doing it. Who wanted to talk to me? Tony?**

**Telltale: I'm out**

_Telltale has logged out_

**Pink hearts: Ziva wanted to speak with you…she looks pretty angry so you'd better watch out, McGee.**

**Rogerthat: Wonderful. Go ahead and log out while I handle this, Kate.**

**Pink hearts: I hope you're in a safe location.**

**Rogerthat: I'm in a coffee shop using Wi-Fi. Is that safe enough for you?**

**Pink hearts: It's certainly untraceable since it is in a public location. You can easily crash the hard drive and blame it on spilling coffee all over the place by mistake. I'm gonna go, before Ziva gets irate enough to throw her computer at the wall. Oh jeez…**

_Pink hearts has logged out_

**Rogerthat: Uh…just what did I do that pissed you off so badly?**

**Guns and roses: Don't act like you don't know. You know exactly what you did.**

**Rogerthat: Can you be a little more specific?**

**Guns and roses: I'd do that, but these conversations are saved in the data base and I don't want to…hm…let's just say there's children here.**

**Rogerthat: What do you mean by that?**

_Guns and roses has logged out_

**Rogerthat: Ziva?**

"Well that did no good," she growled. The day dragged by slowly. Ziva allowed her anger to let her focus on the next assignment. Unfortunately, it was something where being furious would _not_ help. Waiting. She had nothing to do. Her patience was wearing thin, and everyone could see it. So they avoided her. After half an hour, she couldn't take it anymore. She just hopped into her car and drove off. Time to pay McGee a little visit.

_Meanwhile…_

"Where's Ziva?" Gibbs demanded. Tony shrugged. He went down to Abby's lab and asked around. She didn't know either. Nobody knew. He tried calling her. No answer. She was going to be in huge trouble when she got back, he thought, glaring at the empty spot in the parking lot. His phone rang. He answered it immediately.

"Where are you?" he growled into the phone.

"With McGee," came her calm reply. "I'm just…having a little talk with him," Something in her voice made him suspicious.

"Just make it quick, you are driving me crazy today," he said heavily before hanging up.

_FBI headquarters_

"Ziva, I need you to leave," McGee said wearily. "I have things to do," She growled, but stayed put. She needs to leave, he thought worriedly. Before _she_ shows up.

"I have someone visiting me, and I can't have her see you," he whispered, looking around. "She-she's…" Footsteps started to approach them. Too late. Ziva whipped out her gun the second the figure came into full view.

"You!" she spat, pointing the gun toward the woman's heart. "I know you!" She looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I've never seen you before in my life. McGee, your girlfriend is scaring me,"

"She isn't my girlfriend! She used to be a Mosaad!" he cried out in defense, throwing himself between the two girls.

"And she is lying," Ziva said, lowering her weapon. "She almost killed me the other night while I was wandering the streets contemplating something," The woman shrank back in fear, keeping her eyes on the gun.

"I..I'd never hurt anyone," the blonde whimpered, covering her face. "It's true, ask McGee!" He sighed and looked at her.

"You are in serious denial, Victoria. Let's go. I need you to cover for me," That angered Ziva further. It was Victoria! That made things even worse. They'd all pay for their crimes in the end, she thought bitterly. She drove back to NCIS and was greeted by none other than Abby.

"You have to see this!" she exclaimed. "Victoria has a twin sister who's been missing for the past fifteen years," Ziva's eyes widened. Fifteen years. Does that mean Gibbs might have known her? Who was this woman that called herself Victoria? She had more secrets than Gibbs himself. She forgot for a minute that she was mad at McGee and focused on Abby's new find.

"Any other information on her?" she asked.

"Not yet, but there will be," she sang out. "Let's go out to eat or something. I'm starving, and I feel like having something Italian,"

"Wait…one minute we're one step closer to finding out about Victoria, and the next, we're just dropping the case?" she cried out. "What is the matter with you, Abbs?" Abby's stomach growled as an answer to her question.

"So, how does pizza sound?" she suggested. "I'll kill McGee later…I'm sure we are both mad as hell at him for leaving you,"

"Where did you get that idea from?" Abby demanded, getting into Ziva's car. "I was never angry at him…you don't understand how I feel at all. It was like how…how Gibbs probably felt when he almost lost me," Her voice faltered, remembering the dreaded poison. The horror of near death experiences caused her mind to shut down temporarily.

"Oh…well, what are you going to do about it, then?" Ziva asked, turning onto the interstate. For that, Abby had no answer.

_Autopsy lab_

Palmer was at the last of his strength. Ducky did all he could for him at this point. Now he just had to wait. Whoever did this was going to pay. He worriedly watched his assistant's pale face. If only Palmer had been found sooner, he would've had more of a chance of surviving. Luckily all of the bleeding had stopped, but he had to get that bullet out. He was advanced in his years, so his fingers weren't quite nimble enough to fish around for the bullet. He called for Kate, who was observing in a corner.

"Kate, do you think you could find the bullet? It needs to be scanned for evidence," he said, handing her a pair of latex gloves. She nodded and put them on. A moment later, she fearlessly poked a finger through the cleaned up gunshot wound.

"It's really deep down there," she murmured. "I need a hook of some kind…wait a sec…" She managed to retrieve the bullet without any difficulty. It was completely whole, but had several scratches on it. Of course, it was covered in blood. The wound surprisingly didn't open up again.

"You have really nimble fingers, Miss Todd," he observed. "The wound didn't even open up again," Palmer muttered something in his sleep. Kate looked concerned for him

"I think he needs blood," she said quietly. "I have the same blood type as him. Would you mind if I…"

"Not at all," he said, smiling. "Now, I'm going to have to take you over here…"


	11. Questioning

**A/N: So far, I have over 14,000 words of awesomeness. Before I get carried away with how excited I am about that, here is Chapter 11. By the way…may or may not have taken this idea from Burn Notice, because I liked this one scene so much.**

Chapter 11- Questioning

McGee took off with Victoria, glad he had sent the warning to the Director that she was in grave danger. That got her out of NCIS, but Gibbs could take charge for now until Victoria was eliminated. But could he kill her if she wasn't the one that shot Palmer? Technically, she hadn't done a thing yet. But he knew that she'd pull a move soon if he didn't get going with exploiting her plans.

"So, did you hear about my coworker getting shot?" he asked warily, taking out a flash drive to download the file. He had to keep her distracted. She blinked in surprise.

"No, I can't say I have," she murmured. "Who did it?"

"Your twin," he answered, taking out the flash drive now that the download was complete. He put it in an inside hidden pocket with his car keys. She said nothing.

"You still have to maim the Director. Delete all searches on my sister," she ordered. He sighed, knowing this would cost him.

"Or what?" he challenged. "You'd hurt another coworker? I'm not even remotely close to anyone there. Besides, it's not like you do any of the work yourself," Surprisingly, she remained calm. Perhaps she was expecting such an answer from him.

"I'm just biding my time. You know how I work," she headed toward the stairs. McGee took off, knowing how she was planning to exit. Victoria always liked to make a scene. A second later, there was the sound of a window being smashed and the alarm going off. He started his car, accidentally dropping the flash drive into a puddle. Oh no, he thought. He only had one other flash drive, and there was no way he's get away with downloading another file in there. Time to take one for the team. He gritted his teeth and ran back inside, holding up his badge for all to see.

"NCIS! Out of the way!" he shouted. Nobody paid any attention to him, so he stuffed away his badge and headed for the upstairs computers. They'd never look for him there. He took out the other flash drive and stuck it into the computer.

"Victoria Rakia…" he muttered, typing in the dreaded name. McGee frantically looked at the door, which he had locked to buy some time. Nobody was coming yet.

_Download 23% complete_

"Come on, come on, come on, come on…" The door handle jiggled violently. He held his breath. After a minute, it stopped.

"FBI! Let us in!" a voice shouted. He glanced at the computer screen.

_Download 45% complete_

Damn these slower modems, he thought, typing frantically to speed up the download process. If this didn't load up soon, he'd have to cut corners and get out of there. The lock slowly turned…and stopped halfway after the sound of a gunshot. He breathed a sigh of relief. Though Victoria was supposed to be his enemy, she was looking out for him. Before long, the download was complete. McGee proceeded to dump a nearby cup of coffee on the computer. The wires started to short out. He quickly crashed the hard drive and jumped out the smashed window, landing safely in the bushes. He ran toward his car. FBI officers were swarming the place, pointing their guns in every direction. As he started to drive away, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID. Gibbs. He answered it.

"Boss?"

"You got the file?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure do," McGee answered. "All in a day's work. Does Abby have information on the twin?"

"Daniela has been missing for fifteen years. Find out why," he ordered. The phone went dead. McGee sighed. Guess it was time to make reservations at a hotel. Even though it was mid-day, it would take quite some time to find the woman's relatives. If she had any left. He scrolled through the Internet and found a four star motel not too far from where he was located. He went ahead and parked at the hotel and started for the entrance. As he opened the door, something wet dripped onto his head. He looked up to see dark clouds rolling in. He shook his head and went inside to check in.

"Hello," he said to the woman at the counter. "Room for one, please. One night only," He laid his money on the counter.

"Thank you, here are your keys. Room C-17, third floor, second door on the left. You can't miss it," He smiled gratefully at her and headed for the staircase. The motel was generally deserted, but that didn't bother McGee very much. This was a dilapidated part of town anyway. The stairs were wooden, and creaked with every step he took. At last, he found the third floor. He reached for the doorknob, but stopped when the door swung open, revealing the service maid coming out with her cleaning supplies. He let her pass before going in. The room was a master suite, but he didn't bother wasting time enjoying the scenery. Instead, he decided that he had enough action for one day and took a brief nap.

_-Later-_

It was dark when McGee woke up again. He glanced at the digital clock. 7:30…he must've been exhausted to take a nap that long. Refreshed and ready to go, he set to work. First he checked for any Rakia's in the area, but came up empty. He tried the whole city. Nothing. No Rakia's lived in Maryland, but there was one who had residence in Georgia. It was almost eight. McGee went to go find a coffee machine. There was none.

"Now, where was that coffee shop again?" he said to himself, heading for his car. He took out his phone to look. Three blocks away. He decided to walk instead. The rain had stopped, leaving puddles behind. McGee passed the FBI area, but noticed the first flash drive was gone. Hm…he frowned. There was a slight footprint on the ground next to where he had dropped it. McGee dropped to his knee and took a swab. Time to get this analyzed. But first, some coffee. He went into the small coffee store. The woman at the cashier smiled flirtatiously at the sight of him. She must be on the same shift still, he thought.

"Back for more?" she said, winking at him.

"The coffee here is exceptional," he replied honestly. "Do you mind giving me the same order I had earlier?"

"You mean…a tall frappe, extra foam?" she replied, her smile growing wider. He nodded, laying down a twenty dollar bill.

"Keep the change. I don't like dealing with coins in my pocket. Things tend to fall out of there," She looked at him curiously. "What? Was it something I said…" He looked at the nametag, "Francine?" Her hand flew up to her spiky hair in surprise. She dropped it at once when their eyes met.

"I…no. It's just…I noticed you dropped something outside. Is this yours?" She held up the flash drive.

"Yes, thank you," He gently tugged it out of her hand and put it in a different pocket. He looked down and noticed his coffee was ready. "I'll be going now. I'm on an undercover job, and if any of my enemies know I'm here, I could be in serious danger,"

"Oh, you're a cop?" Francine asked naively. "Like, CSI and stuff?"

"Yes, except I don't work for them. I really must be going, thanks for the coffee," As he turned to leave, the woman noticed a badge sticking out of his back pocket.

"What does that say?" she asked, pulling the badge out to look at it. "NCIS? Never heard of them," He took the badge back and decided it was a good time to interview this Francine. Luckily he had a photo of Daniela. He pulled it out now.

"Do you know this person?" She frowned at the picture.

"Yes…she used to be a customer here some time ago…" Her voice trailed off. "What happened to her?"

"That's what I'm here to find out," he responded, taking a sip of coffee. This was going to be a long night. He checked his watch. It was almost nine. Had he really been here for an hour? He asked a few more questions before taking his leave, throwing away the empty coffee cup on his way out the door. As he started back to the hotel, he briefly remembered the time he came here with Abby on his first date with her. He winced at the pain of recalling that moment and continued on. Now was not the time to think of that. Work was more important at the moment, wasn't it? Sometimes he wasn't so sure anymore what really mattered. Every time he thought of Abby, all thoughts of his life, his career, and anything he should be doing just left him. She was a distraction to what truly mattered: catching the culprit. The walk back was silent and brief. McGee started to feel the effects of the coffee, so he lay in bed for several hours.

"Why, Abby, why?" he moaned, staring hopelessly at the ceiling for an answer. It was almost three in the morning. Would she be awake? He slowly dialed her number. It rang and rang and rang.

"Hey, you've reached Abby Scutio(A/N: spelling?). I'm not here right now…ouch, McGee! I'm recording something here! Please leave a-stop it, Timothy! That tickles!" There was a beep. McGee ended the call, sighing. She never even changed her voicemail.

_Meanwhile…_

Abby stared at the phone. One missed call from McGee. She listened to the voicemail, but it was nothing but his breathing. Should she call him back? Or did he just accidently dial her number? She bit her lip, entirely confused. Finally, she set her phone on the dresser and went back to sleep. Not the double bed. She had long since gotten rid of that. She curled up in her coffin, like old times. Back in the days where…she drifted off to sleep before she could finish that thought.


	12. Apologize

**A/N: For some reason, I had a hard time coming up with a name for this chapter. I think it's because I wanted to break the whole one word thing…anyway…yeah. I've been pretty good about keeping up with my other fan fictions at the same time, so I'm not devoting **_**all**_** my attention here. Just most of it XD**

Chapter 12- Apologize

Abby returned to work as usual early the next morning. Now that all other distractions were out of the way, she noticed that McGee hadn't been showing up to work for some days in a row. She knew McGee well enough that wasn't like him at all. Still, no one else seemed concerned. Except for Gibbs, who tried reaching him several times. When he visited her lab, she decided to ask him about it.

"Where's McGee?" she interrogated loudly over the music. "I haven't seen him in a while," It was the first time Abby had mentioned McGee in a long time, but she thought nothing of it at the moment. Gibbs, however, silently made the observation.

"He's supposed to be returning from an undercover mission the Director gave him, and even she is nowhere to be found," He shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea what to make of it," Abby shrugged, already moving on from the subject.

"I was just asking, don't strain yourself," she chided. "Has the twin been located?"

"No. The relative was found dead. She was murdered just hours before McGee found her. Looks like the investigation is being watched, but I told him to tell no one who he was or what he was doing…" Abby frowned, observing his choice of words.

"Knowing Tim-I mean McGee," she corrected herself. "He probably fell for that girl in the coffee shop. You may want to send Ziva to interrogate her. This sound suspicious. What happened between those two? Do you have any audio?" He nodded, and played back the tape.

"…_**dropped something outside. Is this yours?"**_ Gibbs looked furious.

"How could he be so careless?" he ranted, pressing the stop button with more force than was necessary. Abby jumped slightly at his shout. "I told him to never let that flash drive leave his hands, and what does he do? Drop it into a puddle. I swear, sometimes I wonder if that probie will ever get a promotion," As he turned to leave, Abby grabbed his sleeve, making him stop.

"He's not just a probie," Abby insisted, looking straight into his fierce blue eyes. "He is a member of the NCIS family, and deserves more than that," Surprisingly, after that, Gibbs let it go. He left the lab in a daze. Nobody had ever gained the courage to stand up to him, it defied one of his own rules. As soon as he was gone, Abby breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't smack her on the head like he did with everyone else. She eagerly returned to her online game and proceeded to blow up the Great Wall of China just as Kate came in to see what was going on.

"Ha! Take that!" she shouted, turning around to greet her visitor. "Oh, hi Kate. I didn't see you come in,"

"Have you seen-" Kate started.

"No, no I have not," she interjected. "I came straight here and didn't chat with anyone but Gibbs today. How long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes," she replied. "You seem to be in a better mood. Have you spoken with Ziva yet?"

"Yes, I have, just the other day. It sure put me in a better mood, and she took it well," Abby said happily, going to her mini fridge in search of a yogurt.

"Took what well?" Kate asked.

"Oh, about me being pregnant," she said absently, going back for a spoon. Kate stared at her in shock, unable to speak for several moments.

"W-well, you and McGee sure had some interesting times," she called out faintly after she recovered. Abby laughed, coming back with both yogurt and spoon. She opened it and took a bite, enjoying the flavor for a minute. She set down the yogurt and decided to return to her game. Things were quiet, with the exception of the music and the occasional explosion from the computer. Kate observed with a mild amusement.

"Did you scan the footprint?" she asked after a time.

"Sure did, it belongs to that girl McGee talked to in the coffee shop. I think her name is Francine," She took another bite of yogurt. Kate glanced at the label and noticed the flavor.

"Huh. Raspberry. I thought you hated that flavor," she mused.

"No…I hate blueberries, remember? I couldn't even enjoy the book _Blueberries for Sal_," Kate laughed quietly.

"When do you suppose McGee will return?" she asked Abby suddenly.

"I hope soon, I can't stand the thought of him being in possible danger," Kate nodded, knowing this response made sense. The song changed suddenly to something softer and unfamiliar to her. She listened to the melody for a moment, mystified.

"Hey, is it a girl or boy?" she called out, curious about the pregnancy again. She then realized that Abby had closed out of her game and disappeared. That's strange, she thought as she left the lab. Kate returned to her desk and noticed that Ziva and Tony were gone too. Guess she was alone for now. She sighed and sat down in the chair. This was going to be a long day.

_NCIS parking lot_

"Home sweet home," McGee muttered to himself as he pulled into his parking space. "I wonder if Abby got my call?" Not that it should matter to him, he just wanted to know. That's all. Or was it? Abby ran out to greet him.

"McGee! McGee!" she shouted. "Gibbs is really worried about you and wants to talk to you!" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Back to the Daily Grind. He got out of the car and went over to Abby. She seemed mostly unaffected of what happened over the past two weeks. Palmer had recovered, but refused to speak about the shooting willingly. Victoria had vanished from sight, who knows when she'd return?

"Hello Abby," he said cautiously. "How's everything going here?" She collided into him, hugging him tightly before responding.

"I was so worried that something happened…anyway, Ziva and Tony went to interrogate Francine because her footprint was the one at the crime scene. And it seems you had a dead end with the great-aunt…?"

"Not what I meant, Abbs," he whispered in her ear. "I want to know about the-" She slapped him across the face. McGee winced. Guess he deserved that.

"Not in a million years, Timothy," she replied in an icy voice. "do you get to hear about _my_ child, because you don't want her. If it's not work related, I don't want to hear it!" She stormed off. McGee let his breath out in a gust. He knew he'd have to do a lot more than apologize to win back her friendship.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Sucks for McGee, right?**


	13. Taken

Chapter 13- Taken

Ziva blindly stumbled though the darkness. Her only lead was that this Daniela was underground. How specific, she thought with bitter sarcasm. This tunnel would be the last place she's look tonight. Suddenly, she felt a chill. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She wasn't alone in here. Her fingers twitched, and she tried to see everything at once. That was when she remembered her flashlight. Ziva took it out and turned it on. Nothing out of the ordinary, just some abandoned mining tools and a cart half-filled with dirt. A few gems poked out, modestly gleaming in the weak light. She ignored it. Her interest at the moment wasn't lost treasure. A hand came down over her mouth so fast she didn't have time to react.

"One scream," Victoria threatened, "and you die," A gun was loaded and pointed at her temple. Victoria smashed the flashlight and tossed it aside.

"Start walking," she growled. Ziva calmly obeyed, a plan forming in her mind.

-Later-

Gibbs heard something smash, but for a while he thought nothing of it. When the first stars started to come out, he decided to investigate. Ziva was gone, but a broken flashlight remained. He cautiously opened it. A note fell out.

_You have to find the Director before it's too late. Try a local search; she's closer than you think. McGee made a huge mistake in telling her to take some time off, because now she's being held hostage in the most unlikely of places._

Below was a scrambled code, along with the name of a street. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of the abandoned mine in one swift movement. Time to go back and deliver this to Abby. The second he did so, he left without any explanation. She'd figure things out for herself.

_Abby's lab_

Abby wearily sat down to take a break. The second she relaxed, the sliding glass door flung open. She sighed.

"What do you want?" she said irritably. "I've got enough on my plate with this note to decode here…" Her voice trailed off when she saw who it was, Tony. He looked like he was in shock.

"F-Francine is innocent," he stuttered, in an attempt to make conversation. "I don't know where Ziva is. I haven't seen her for hours. The boss says she's gone missing. That note is our only clue. It doesn't look like finding her is our priority. She mentions the Director in the note…I think she gave us her address," Tony left, still shaking with disbelief. Abby picked up the unsigned note and examined it more closely. Now that she thought of it, he was right. She decided to take a coffee break. Up by the coffee machine, Kate was relaxing as well. She handed Abby a cup of coffee, but said nothing. She didn't seem in the mood for conversation. So Abby gave her a moment of privacy. She reflected on her time here in NCIS, and wondered what the future could hold for all of them. She knew they'd all known each other for some time. What would happen when her child joined this environment she was so familiar with? Would anything else change? As she began to leave, McGee showed up. She ducked into the stairwell to hide.

"Have you seen Abby?" she heard him ask. "I wanted to talk to her," She turned and sprinted down the stairs back to the lab, forgetting for a moment she had a cup of coffee in her hand. Luckily, there was a plastic lid protecting the hot liquid. She could still faintly hear Kate's reply.

"She should be down in her lab. Try the stairs, it's just one flight," McGee started down the stairs just as she reached the bottom and rounded the bend.

"Abby! I just want to talk!" he shouted after her. She shoved the door open and just managed to lock it behind her when he approached the entrance to the lab. She turned on her music to full blast and ignored his shouts. **A/N I just realized I put the sliding glass door in the wrong spot. Whoops!**

I'm bound helpless in my own home, how could McGee let this happen to me? Jenny thought, struggling against her bonds again and again to no avail. She felt weary with hunger and thirst that couldn't possibly be quenched in the wine cellar. Finally the ropes were starting to come lose just as the door banged open and Gibbs ran in, pointing his gin around the room.

"Have you seen Ziva?" he asked.

"I'm lucky enough to see you," was her response. "I was left here to die, and in my own home as well. How fitting since I have been considering retirement," Gibbs looked alarmed.

"You're still young, whatever do you need retirement for?" he exclaimed. She shook her head and held out her bonds as a signal for him to cut them off. He did so without question. The ropes fell away, and Gibbs studied Jenny closely. She didn't appear worse for wear, a little thinner and paler from lack of sunlight, but otherwise she looked strong. Her prominent cheekbones were lined with dust from the wine cellar, and her clothes were slightly torn in places. There was unidentified dried blood on her cheek. She had been through a fight.

"Fill on what I have missed in an effort for you to stop staring at me," she ordered coldly.

"Its business as usual," he replied, which was code for everything starting to get out of control.

"I trust everyone is alive and healthy?" she inquired.

"Abby told me the other day some interesting news, Ziva is missing, and McGee is hiding something," he said. They got into the car and drove off, heading back toward NCIS.

"Some time at the office, huh?" she said faintly. "What…news did Abby tell you that interested you so much?" He sighed, making a random turn on the road that took the long route to their destination

"She's pregnant with a girl she's naming after Kelly," he said after a long silence. He wondered if she had done that on purpose, giving him a constant reminder of the past he tried so hard to forget day after day.

"Jethro," she breathed. "You know as well as I why you made those rules…? Why don't you let your guard down, just for one night? I promise I'll be nice,"

"I-It would be un-unprofessional," he stuttered. NCIS was less than a mile away now, but he pulled to a stop anyway so he could clear his head. Gibbs hesitantly faced Jenny.

"Don't resist any longer, Jethro," she told him, her eyes levelly gazing through him. "We both know what will happen if you wait too long," He closed his eyes, picturing Shannon in front of him. It wasn't too hard, even though it had been nearly sixteen years. Finally, he shook his head and pulled away from her.

"I know what I want," he murmured, "it's just that you're not the right one," She quietly accepted this information.

"You said the same thing in Paris," Jenny whispered. Gibbs knew his mind hadn't changed since then, and neither had hers.

"I want something more definite," he hedged. "If you know what I mean," She sighed, and he started driving again. Time to get back to business.


	14. Forgiven

Chapter 14- Forgiven

Abby finally fell asleep into the chair she tried to retire in earlier, happy to get some sleep at last. She immediately drifted off into a dream like one she'd never had before.

_She could see a carbon copy of Gibbs's dead daughter Kelly floating before her. Abby stepped forward, hesitant. McGee held her hand, oblivious to the girl._

"_I'm glad you finally decided to forgive me," he said happily. Kelly looked a little scared when he looked right through her, as if Abby was the only one that knew she existed._

"_Don't let him hurt me, Mommy!" Kelly exclaimed, pointing at McGee. "I love him very much. Please let me live," she continued, her face growing sad._

Abby was jolted awake by a loud bang on the door. She wearily got to her feet and let McGee in.

"Why are you here?" she asked suspiciously. "Haven't you done enough?" McGee stood there, willing to take any punishment he was about to get. Suddenly, she was shaking, shaking with pent up sobs and cries as she realized he wasn't here for work related reasons. He thought this was worse than her yelling at him. McGee went up and hugged her gently, and she started crying into his shirt.

"I know," he said, "I was being a huge jerk when I left like that, but I needed to clear my head. I don't care if I have to wait a million years for you to forgive me. If I have to stand on my head and sing gibberish to make you feel better, I'll do whatever it takes to-" Abby jammed her lips against his, cutting him off. His mind shorted out for a moment. She finally pulled back and looked at him.

"I'll have to go find that double bed, then," was all she could manage to say before he kissed her back just as fiercely. Kate ran in through the open door and halted when she saw McGee and Abby.

"Did I come at a bad time?" she asked, startling them. "I have Ziva's next note. Tony found it lying in the street," She handed Abby a small sheet of paper that looked ravaged by the elements. She scanned it quickly and set it aside. McGee picked it up, but didn't see what sort of clue it could hold.

_I'm right under your nose_, _almost quite literally…except that arms are involved in this one._

He set the note back down and started kissing Abby again, ignoring Kate. She cleared her throat for their attention.

"I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you more," Abby whispered back, gazing into his eyes. "I hope you never, ever leave me again,"

"Never," he breathed into her ear. Kate stormed over to the CD player and turned it off. The sudden silence got Abby and McGee's attention, but only briefly. The door opened again, and Tony walked in.

"Whoa, bad time, huh?" he chuckled, gazing at the couple. They glared at him. Abby shoved both Kate and Tony out, locking the door behind them. They were too surprised to fight back.

"Time to get to work," she sang out, skipping to the computer. This next note was a little longer than the others, and gave another clue.

_Starry by day and night…is this reality? I feel like I'm in space down here! But it's so dark here, though. You'd love it, Abs. I know you're practically a vampire, the way you seem to stay up all night. It's always night here. As I said, I'm hidden closer than you all think. Maybe not under your nose, but try under your feet. American idioms confound me. It took a while just for me to figure out this one. Don't tell Tony, so as not to let the bird out of the bag. Gah! I did it again!_

-Underground-

The room Ziva had been locked in must have been a mixture between a planetarium and a weapons holding area, because she was surrounded by empty shelves and sparkling stars on the walls. It made her feel like she was floating in space. Luckily she managed to use her meager meal trays to get these notes to Abby. But she felt as if her troubles had only just begun. Ziva could sense Victoria nearby, breathing heavily as if she had just run a race.

"I'm going to enjoy this…" Victoria breathed, proceeding to cut Ziva's arms to ribbons with her knife. She closed her eyes, allowing the pain to take on its full force. But as soon as she started, she pulled back, seeming satisfied. Blood ran down her arms and dripped audibly into the floor. The sting was nothing compared to what came next.

"They're never going to find you…" she whispered. "They don't even know you're gone. I got rid of your silly little notes a long time ago," Ziva said nothing, too surprised to respond. She was never getting out of here. She'd probably die in the prison of stars first. She bowed her head in shame that she thought the stupid plan would even work. Victoria leapt back before she could get covered in blood.

"Now tell me, where is your precious Timothy McGee?" Ziva clamped her lips shut, remaining silent. It was an answer she wanted, huh? Well she wasn't about to get anything, not that monster of a woman. Ziva could tell she wanted to hurt McGee very badly, for whatever reason. Victoria called in an unknown man and ordered him to torture with any means possible. He began to roughly handle her, throwing kicks and punches repeatedly until Ziva began to lose consciousness.

"Let's see how strong you really are," Victoria said smugly as Ziva crawled into a corner to escape. She dropped off to sleep at once, thankful to have no pain at last. But that didn't end her torture. The second she went to sleep, she was rudely awakened by having cold water dumped all over her. Shivering, she sat up and looked at the man. Ziva recognized him at once.

"Michael," she gasped. Ziva fainted, the stars burning into her vision even with her eyes closed.


	15. Clues

Chapter 15- Clues

With all the notes in front of her, Abby slowly started to piece the clues together. But what could possibly be under NCIS other than dirt? That was what confused her. She sighed and looked at each letter again and again until her eyes blurred from gazing at Ziva's handwriting for more than ten minutes straight. Frustrated, she stormed off to find Gibbs but halted when she heard him talking to the Director in hushed tones near the conference room.

"You know why I said what I said, Jenny," Gibbs murmured. There was a moment of silence. Abby held her breath, hoping she wasn't noticed.

"Yes, Jethro, I do, but did Paris mean nothing to you?" the Director said. "I know you felt…something, some spark or feeling or-"

"Enough, Jenny," he said sternly. "Rule number twelve, remember? I made it not for the team, but for _us_," Abby heard a sigh, but it sounded ragged with pain. She cautiously took a half step forward, but remained hidden.

"I understand, but could you do me a favor?" Jenny asked quietly. Gibbs said nothing. Typical of him. "I want one last…reminder of what I'll miss in the years to come. Can you at least give me that much?" Abby shuffled forward another inch and was able to see them from where she stood. And what she saw was…Gibbs leaning toward the Director and kissing her on the lips. The Director relaxed slightly, and after a few seconds they pulled apart. Gibbs looked like, well Gibbs, but Jenny appeared satisfied. She nodded stiffly and left. That was when the boss noticed her. He looked unsurprised at her appearance.

"What do you got, Abs?" he asked wearily. She bit her lip. How would she go about this without disappointing him, especially after what she had just witnessed?

"I…that's the problem," she mumbled, coming forward hesitantly. "I am so confused…I have this place memorized by heart and I know the place Ziva keeps describing exists. It just doesn't seem to exist here,"

"It exists," he said simply.

"But how?" she demanded. "I can't keep guessing indefinitely and if I didn't know better I'd think you were keeping a secret, Gibbs!" The last few words were a shout. He looked around to make sure they were alone, and started to speak.

"Try looking in the encrypted blueprint hard drive in Jenny's computer," he ordered. "I can't tell you anything more," She wordlessly trudged back to the elevator and let it take her back down to her lab. It was only when she got there did she realize that Ziva had been kidnapped for over four days. And that she was in the wrong place. She ran back to the elevator and frantically pressed the up button until the silver doors slowly glided open again. She stumbled in and saw McGee standing there.

"Oh, hello," she mumbled. "Where are you headed?" He smiled and pressed a button.

"Off to find the Director," he said, "and you?"

-Underground-

Trusting Micheal was a mistake Ziva now regretted. He was the closest thing she had to falling in love for real. She'd let him into her heart…just like the rest of NCIS. Did that mean the others would eventually do the same thing to her? She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts together. No. Not Abby Scuito. Not Gibbs. Not sweet McGee. Not even ridiculous Tony. They wouldn't betray her. But…what about Kate? She frowned. It didn't seem likely. But she didn't speak to her often, so she had no way to prove that. So, not Kate either then. Ziva could sense Victoria near her again. She stiffened, prepared for another verbal onslaught.

"They don't _really_ love you. They fear you, with your blunt honesty and your inability to string two American idioms together properly. How could any of them be your friend?" Ziva felt herself shaking, but didn't let that stop her from responding this time.

"Abby adores me! Gibbs respects me! They'd be _nothing_ without me! I've save them more than once. How dare you say that!" Ziva's injuries throbbed painfully. Her clothes were torn and bloody. Victoria shoved her into the shelves so hard that some of them collapsed on her. One pinned her arm down painfully. She heard a snap and felt the bone shift in an impossible position. The pain came a second later. It felt like her arm was on fire…but she knew that couldn't possibly be true. She bit her tongue against the pain.

"No! They fear you, and I know it's true! They all are terrified…especially the weak and useless Abby Scuito,"

"Lies," she croaked, throwing a weak punch with her good arm. "Abby's the strongest person I know besides myself. She's been through hell since I've known her. But I've had worse than what you can possibly give me," At this, Victoria laughed.

"Oh, really?" Victoria said. "I believe Michael will make you change your mind, Special Agent David," The door opened and Michael walked in. The light hurt Ziva's eyes, and she did her best to squirm out from under the shelf and away from the figure. He crossed the room in just a few long strides and stood menacingly over her.

"You better tell me where my precious McGee is," she warned from somewhere by the door. "…or else Michael here will have his fun," Ziva remained silent. Michael inched closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, and a moment later, her shoulder. She tried to back away, but slipped and fell to the floor. Michael pulled Ziva up by her left arm, the one that was broken. She gritted her teeth and held back a shriek of pain. He held her gently and started kissing her. Ziva squirmed in his strong grasp and tried to escape. His breath smelled of alcohol.

"I'm going to have fun with this," he slurred, holding her tighter. Was he drunk? Ziva struggled harder, but it was no use. He was too strong. Michael's hands moved lower, but she was powerless…She aimed a kick at his gut, causing him to release his hold on her. She limped away from him and went to sleep in a hidden corner. Free at last. Ziva drifted off into a dreamless sleep filled with gray shades of gloom, and the dim realization that this freedom was only temporary. There was no escape from this nightmare.

**A/N: I decided to let Kate survive 'Twilight' to be in my fan fiction, if that's fine with you people. If not, don't read it! I happen to like Kate…so I put her in here. Is that too much to ask? Anyway I'll stop annoying you with random notes during the chapter. Though I enjoy doing that…its part of my quirky charm! Okay…maybe not? Updates will be getting faster, I hope. I'd like to have this done by the time school resumes, but homework may be preventing from that wish from coming true.**


	16. Revenge

Chapter 16- Revenge

Ziva was woken up by Michael roaring in pain just moments later. He ran after her at once. She weakly started to crawl toward her knife. She could see the silver glint that was just a few feet away. Ziva reached for it but came up an inch short. Michael grabbed her ankle and started to pull her back. She dug her fingernails into the floor for a stronger grip, but could feel herself being pulled back to him.

"You're not getting away that easily," he growled. Ziva kicked at his hand with all her might. He suddenly released her, cursing under his breath. Meanwhile, she had gotten hold of her knife again. Time for some sweet revenge against her betrayer. She struggled to her feet, but Michael pushed her to the ground again. She continued the momentum by executing a backwards somersault toward where she thought the doorway was. She had long since adjusted to the minimal lighting in here, but she doubted that he was even remotely close to doing that. Ziva went over to a wall and touched a star. Just as she thought. A glow in the dark sticker. It could peel off like a bandage. They were only on the walls. A plan started to form in her mind. Slowly, she started to peel off the stars one by one until they lay in a small pile in the middle of the room. Other than the tiny glowing mountain of sticker stars, it was completely dark. Victoria was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you, Ziva?" Michael shouted, twisting this way and that. Ziva was trained to work in the night, so the darkness did not bother her. She could clearly see his silhouette running around the mid-sized room. The knife felt cold in her hand, but that hardly bothered her.

"I'm right here," she muttered, watching his shadow move about. "Come and get me," Michael was at least twenty feet away now. Ziva threw the knife with all her might at his chest. Her aim was perfect. He fell to the floor with a loud thud and screamed in pain. The door opened again and suddenly Victoria was back. She strode toward Ziva and whipped out her own knife. Michael whimpered, but was now starting to quiet down. She wondered if he'd die soon, but pushed the thought away. There were more important matters at hand.

"You are useless to me," she spat, bringing the knife to her throat. "Any last words, Agent David?"

"Go to hell," she croaked, struggling in the woman's grasp. The knife pressed harder against her skin. She could feel blood starting to trickle along her throat. She twisted Victoria's arm backward. The knife clattered to the floor. Ziva glanced at Michael. He wasn't moving. She had killed him.

"You are gonna-" The door, which had been closed behind her, opened once more. A shadow blocked the incoming light. Victoria gasped and ran out of the room to evade capture. The figure shut the door and approached Ziva. She froze, uncertain if it were a friend or foe…until the person was embracing her in a rib-cracking hug.

"Oh, Ziva!" Abby cried out. "I finally found you!"

-Later-

Back in the lab, Ziva examined her injuries. Bruises lined her arms, which had healing gashes that nearly exposed the muscle they were so deep. Of course, her left arm was broken and was probably starting to set wrong. Someone would have to rebreak it. She gulped at the thought and tried not to think about it. Dried blood was all over her clothes, but that would be easy to take care of. Abby came in, hesitantly smiling at the ex-Mossad.

"The clues helped, but you'd have to thank Gibbs for telling me that the place actually existed. I hope the Director doesn't mind that I know the password on her computer. Well, it was for a good reason, so she'd have to forgive me, right? I mean, you're impor-"

"Abs," Ziva sighed wearily. She stopped talking at once, realizing that she was rambling.

"Sorry," she muttered. "You look like a mess. Why don't you clean up?"

"I need a hospital, Abs. My arm is broken," Abby looked more closely.

"I see what you mean. Why don't you let Ducky take care of it?" She was steered down to the autopsy lab where the beloved medical examiner happened to reside. Ducky wasn't there, but Palmer was, cleaning up the last bits of a recent autopsy.

"Hello, Abby," Palmer called out. "Dr. Mallard isn't here right now. What can I do for you?"

"Ziva's arm is broken. I need you to make sure that it didn't set wrong so that a cast can be set up for her," Abby explained. Ziva quietly came forward and showed her injury to Palmer.

"Hum…it looks like a clean break on the forearm here. This shouldn't be too much trouble. Hope the Doc doesn't mind if I borrow his X-ray machine. You two wait here," He scurried off into the other room. Ziva sighed. She wished she had gotten the time to kill Victoria as well. Maybe that wasn't her job…

"Are you all right?" Abby asked her. "I mean, other than the broken arm,"

"I'm fine," she lied. "It's nothing, really," Palmer returned with the Z-ray machine just as Ducky came in, holding a box of takeout Chinese food.

"Mr. Palmer, what are you doing?" he demanded, setting the box down. "I thought I told you not to mess with that when I'm not here," He sheepishly stepped aside.

"Sorry, but I needed to take a look to see if Ziva needed her arm rebroken," he explained. "I thought that made an exception," Ducky looked over at Ziva, who was watching the scene as if it was a dream or some performance taking place. Her face was mostly blank.

"All right," he said quietly. "Let's fix you up, Ziva,"

_Abby's lab, thirty minutes later_

Though Ziva was cleaned up and wearing a cast now, the images of what had just happened were fresh in her mind. She had no doubt the last four days would haunt her for some time. She sighed, putting her head down on the keyboard. Maybe all she needed was some rest. The door slid open, and she sat up in surprise.

"McGee just went home. I told him I'd meet up with him later," Abby said, coming to sit by Ziva. "Now tell me, what happened down there? You've hardly said a word since I rescued you,"

"The credit goes to Gibbs, remember?" she mumbled to the keyboard. "He was the one with the information," _And more_, Abby thought but remained quiet. She sat there for a minute. Ziva had almost fallen asleep when she spoke again.

"You don't _have_ to tell anyone else, but I want to know. I saw the bruises and gashes all over your arms. It looks like pain just had a field day with you…or maybe four,"

"I was tortured," Ziva whispered, wincing at the memory. "S-She wanted to know where McGee was. I wouldn't talk, so Victoria had to make me talk. It didn't work, but some things happened that I wish that wouldn't have,"

"Like what?" Ziva lifted her head, feeling her controlled mask slip slightly. Some emotion showed, and she knew that Abby was seeing the past four days in her eyes.

"I…okay…" she said, looking away. "I can see you don't want to talk about it," She started to leave, but Ziva grabbed Abby's sleeve.

"Michael betrayed me…he tried to rape me! I-I don't know how I managed to fight him off, but I did. And when Victoria called you weak and useless, that was when I found the strength to fight back because I knew it was a lie. She threw everything she had at me in an attempt to break me but it did just the opposite. Abs, the whole time I was down there she tried to get me to think you guys were afraid of me. I knew that wasn't true…but I had moments of doubt," Abby gaped at her in shock. She had never known Ziva to open up like this before.

"I think you used to scare us," she said, "but that was before we knew you. And you are more trusting of us now, so you're not quite as closed off from the rest of us. Emotionally, I mean. You can still intimidate the heck out of any one of us, but…we all see you in a different light now," Abby glanced at Ziva, who's expression was unreadable. Was it her imagination, or did that make her…happy?

"Thanks, Abby," she whispered, smiling a little. "That means…a lot,"

"I'll take you home," Abby murmured. "You've had a rough time,"

**A/N: There should only be around seven to eight chapters left, to those who have been paying attention to how the plot's going so far. I might make a sequel. Let me just see how the rest of this turns out first. Hope you all have a Happy New Year in 2011!**


	17. Files

Chapter 17- Files

McGee warily watched Gibbs approach him. Now that he had the flash drive, hopefully Victoria would be captured sooner. He ran up to the boss, eagerly holding up his prize.

"I got it, boss!" he said excitedly. Now that he could get a good look at it, McGee noticed the flash drive was a sleek black, like a limousine. It picked up his fingerprints easily.

"You better take that to Abby. I just saw her leave with Ziva," he said. "She was finally rescued from Victoria. Do you know about her?"

"Somewhat," he answered lightly, not willing to expand on the subject. "But all psychos look the same to me, so you could be talking about anyone," He ran off to the elevator, flash drive in hand. Tony got in with him

"I heard that Abby put together all the clues," Tony said. "Do you know of her condition?" 

"No. I haven't even seen her. Look, I'm in a hurry. Just get me to the ground floor so I can get out of here," Tony shrugged.

"Hey, I just wanted to know," he said. "I'm going to Ducky's lab anyway. The boss asked me to do something for him," McGee rolled his eyes and pressed the button that took the elevator all the way to the ground floor. Tony took the opposite hallway, but McGee continued down to the main entrance. He took out his cell phone and called Abby.

"Hello?"

"Abs, where are you? I need you back here at NCIS. I've got the flash drive with all of Victoria's information," There was a brief pause.

"I…can't exactly leave right now," she said uncertainly. "Ziva wanted me to pick up some painkillers for her, so I decided to do her the favor. Why don't you meet me at the pharmacy? I might be a while; this person in front of me is taking _forever_! Oh, I'm also here to pick up other things which would also explain the delay…" Her voice trailed off.

"Which pharmacy are you at?" McGee asked. "I'm in a hurry. The boss wants results pretty soon, and I don't want to keep him waiting," Abby gave him the address and directions as he got in his car and started driving. So the race against time began.

_Ziva's apartment_

For the third time Ziva checked her watch. Abby had been gone for almost thirty minutes already. She sighed and glared at the ceiling. There was no way she'd get to sleep with her arm hurting like this. Come to think of it, she had a headache to go with it. She rolled out of bed and went through her medicine cabinet. There was some aspirin, but only one pill was left. She downed it dry and tossed out the empty plastic bottle. Some of the throbbing started to fade, but not nearly enough so that she could think clearly. Ziva switched on the TV for a distraction. A movie was playing, a cheesy comedy called _House Bunny_. Finally Abby arrived, followed by McGee.

"Sorry it took me so long," Abby apologized, setting the painkillers on the end table. "Tim had something to give me and I got…distracted," A faint blush colored her cheeks as she looked over at McGee. He nodded for confirmation but said nothing. Ziva opened the bottle of painkillers and quickly swallowed two pills instead of one, for good measure.

"What held you up is none of my concern," she said, turning off the television. The movie was annoying her anyway. "Abs, you should get back to your lab. Gibbs won't stop calling me and demanding for you to get back over there as soon as possible," Abby nodded and left with McGee.

"Hope those painkillers help!" she called on her way out.

_NCIS- men's room_

Kate managed to find Gibbs at last, but not in the place she was hoping to have a private conversation. She carefully approached the boss, who was at the sink.

"Gibbs?" she inquired. He briefly glanced at her and looked away. "I was just wondering…if something happened to Abby, do you think I could temporarily take her place? You gave me the training to do just that, I'd hate to have the opportunity denied. And I know she's like a daughter to you. I can tell by the way you talk about her. I've grown quite attached to her myself, and she would want me to do this anyway,"

"I had no intention of not letting you do that," he said without looking at her. "It was my plan all along," Kate frowned, a confused expression on her face showing in the mirror.

"Oh," she said. "Then why did you just let me say all that?"

"Just seeing if you have the guts," he replied, leaving the bathroom. Kate followed him out. They took the elevator back to the main area and found Tony loitering at Ziva's desk. Gibbs slapped him upside the head.

"Sorry boss," he muttered, closing a drawer so quickly Kate didn't see what he was attempting to hide. "I'll see if I can contact Abby again to see if she is on the way," Gibbs shook his head. "Well, what do you want me to do then?" Tony demanded. "There's not exactly any action going on around here, boss,"

"Then find some," he ordered. "Get back to your desk. There's a whole line of cold cases that need to be examined. Try double checking the reports for any mistakes," At this, the elevator opened and Abby came running in with a flash drive in her hand.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" she shouted, nearly running into him. "I've got it! I've got it!"

"Good work, Abs, but I need what's in the flash drive," he reminded her. She smiled sheepishly and quickly regained control of herself. Kate couldn't help but be amused at her quirky personality.

"Right, I'll get to that immediately," Abby said. "Since McGee isn't here, can Kate…?"

"I'll join you," she interjected, stepping forward. "Trust me, I'm trained for this," She glanced at the boss, who nodded as if to encourage her. Kate left with Abby, happy at how this was working out. To her surprise, they took the stairs instead of the elevator.

"What's with the eagerness for exercise all the sudden?" she asked.

"I want to stay in shape," Abby said in response, glancing briefly at her stomach. Luckily, the lab was only a few flights down and was just above the interrogation room, which was a floor above Ducky's autopsy room. Abby punched in the unlock code and strode over to her computer. Kate took this moment to reflect on the past weeks since she had discovered Abby was pregnant. Most of the time she was behind the scenes, and got the news of the happenings through snatches of conversation from Gibbs and the Director during her free moments from work, but she had found some way to contribute. She methodically observed from behind her desk, carefully making sure when each team member left that they came back. So, truthfully, she was the first one to figure out Ziva was missing. But she was rarely picked to go out in the field so she was unable to tell Tony of her suspicions when Ziva was gone longer than usual…

"I've got something!" Abby shouted, interrupting her thoughts. "Looks like this Victoria really knows how to stay under the radar. No bank accounts, no police record, no credit cards, and no place of residence in the past year or so. I'm fairly impressed," Kate went to go get Gibbs and pass along the message.

"Wait, there's more!" she called, but Kate was already gone. "Darn, guess she'll learn more about Victoria's twin Daniela later," She shrugged and went to go refill her Caf-Pow.


	18. Vacation or Not

Chapter 18- Vacation…or Not

A month or so after every single scrap of information about Victoria Rakia was excavated; Abby and McGee took some much needed time off at home. McGee pulled out the movie _Zombie Land _and put it in. Abby left the room to go pop some popcorn. As she took out the bag, she paused at the cabinet. A few minutes later, McGee came out to see what the holdup was.

"What are you doing?" he asked teasingly.

"Have you ever thought of adding gravy to popcorn?"

"No…why would I do that?"

"It just came to me. Let's go watch the movie now," She started for the bedroom, but was stopped by McGee.

"Does Kelly kick at all yet?" he inquired. She shook her head.

"No. That's what I was checking. I bet she will in a month or so…did you even read the child development book?" McGee vaguely remembered Ziva giving it to him, and Tony teasing him all afternoon about it. He hadn't even read the introduction.

"I skimmed," he lied smoothly. "Why don't you remind me where Kelly currently is in her development?" Abby explained to him in great detail as he started up the movie and settled onto the bed.

"I think she should be able to hear our voices now…" she murmured as the movie started. The popcorn was quickly devoured during the first fifteen minutes. Not even the first zombie was around yet. McGee went to go pop more popcorn. When he came back, he found Abby reading the child development book like it was the latest and greatest novel. He smiled at her, but she didn't look up. He sat down next to her and peeked at the page she was on. There were pictures of the last few months of pregnancy. Abby was reading about month nine.

"What are you reading ahead for?" McGee asked warily, watching as she turned the page to week forty. Several words jumped out at him. Labor. Contractions. Stillbirth. The baby could still be born dead. He shoved the thought away and turned his attention back to the movie.

"I just want to see what happens afterward," she answered lightly, turning some more pages. "I think it'll be best to see how Kelly develops during her first year," They watched the movie some more, Abby snickering at all the mayhem and gore at the screen the whole time. The end credits were rolling when McGee's phone rang. He reached over to the end table and answered it.

"Yeah, boss?"

"I need you two back at NCIS," he ordered. "Since Victoria is nowhere to be found, it's going in our cold case files for now. There's a dead Marine found outside of D.C. I need you to investigate, probie,"

"Boss, I'm-"

"Don't argue with me!" he shouted. "Go, now! Ducky's waiting!" McGee looked over at Abby.

"Okay, boss. I'm going," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Gibbs wants you?" Abby asked with an amused expression on her face. The smile lit up her features. He looked at her more closely. She was glowing with health, the perfect picture of absolute happiness. He slowly smiled back, just a little.

"I'd better get going," he told her, kissing her cheek. "See you later, Abs," He crawled off the bed and grabbed his jacket. As he left the room, he managed to get one last look at her. She looked pretty good for being several months pregnant, he thought to himself. Humming happily to himself, he headed out to his car. Vacation time was over, but he wouldn't let that ruin his mood. Abby followed him out.

"I think Gibbs might want me there too," she called to him, quickly pulling on her lab coat and running out the door with him. McGee closed the door behind her. "I'll go to my lab just in case," She started out to her car. He walked with her.

"He didn't mention you, though…" he said doubtfully. His phone beeped suddenly and he took it out. It was a text from Ziva, asking about Abby. He looked over to his girlfriend, who was starting the car. "Ah…well, the boss may not necessarily need you but Ziva wants to know if you're coming in today,"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "It's impossible to find anyone with more passion about my job then me," With that, she drove off. McGee got into his own car and started after her. McGee called Ziva and decided to explain their four hour absence from the office.

"Ziva, what are you panicking for? We were trying to take the day off to get away from all the insanity," he whined, turning onto a highway.

"Sorry, Tony stole my phone from me temporarily and sent that," Ziva apologized. "But since you are indeed not missing in action, I'll be sure to tell him to quit messing with your computer and erasing the entire hard drive,"

"What?" he exclaimed. "He better not be doing that! I swear, if he deletes all those photos of me and Abby, I'll find a way to kill him without any forensic evidence," At this, Ziva laughed loudly.

"That would certainly frustrate Abby," she chuckled. "You know what happens when she can't analyze the evidence she has, don't you?" McGee winced at the memory of the time when she was unable to find a definite finger print or fiber. She went nuts for almost a whole fifteen minutes. And when it was realized that Ducky gave her the wrong evidence, she practically exploded…

"_Are you kidding me?" Abby seethed. "You expect me to just be okay with this? I thought you were a professional medical examiner, Dr. Mallard! I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to irritate the hell out of me!" She stormed off, evidence and all. McGee gulped, glancing back and forth between Ducky and Gibbs. The looks on their faces were unbelievable. His knees shook, but he was very glad that he wasn't the on she was angry at. Ziva headed down to Abby's lab. He watched her warily, hoping she'd come out in one piece. Fifteen minutes later, she returned, looking subdued._

"_Wow, you better not go down there, Gibbs," she said. "You'd probably regret trying to calm her down," He rolled his eyes and went down there anyway. McGee cautiously followed him. He stopped outside the entrance._

"_Abigail Sciuto!" Gibbs shouted. "You'd better let me in!" The door instantly opened a fraction, just enough for him to slip through the opening. It snapped shut before McGee could follow him in. He pressed his ear to the wall and listened._

"_Abby, what is your problem?" he demanded. "It's not that big of a deal. So Ducky made one mistake…are you going to hold it against him for the rest of the day?"_

"_No," Abby mumbled._

"_Good. What do you got, Abs?"_

"_Some common house mold here…" McGee left, grateful that the worst was over. Still, he kept his distance for the remainder of the day just to be safe._

"Yes, I do remember," he said quietly after a few minutes. He pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Abby's car.

"I'd better hang up before Gibbs yells at me," Ziva said abruptly. A second later, she hung up on him. McGee snapped his phone shut and got out of the car. He yanked the keys out of the ignition and slammed the door shut. The noise cleared his head a little. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Time to get to business. He strode into the building and headed straight to Ducky's autopsy lab, wondering what could possibly be waiting for him.


	19. Weakened

**A/N: A brief word before I jump into the next chapter. School is about to start, and I have no idea if I can finish this fan fiction in time. If I don't complete it before school starts again, just bear with me. I probably won't be able to update as quickly. But if I do, and if you guys encourage me with enough reviews, everyone can have virtual cookies and celebrate at the speediness of this story's completion. Hope you all have a happy time reading and writing fan fiction throughout 2011 and later on in the future. And good luck to the new members out there.**

Chapter 19- Weakened

Abby wasn't so sure that it was a good idea to come into work today. Her head pounded something fierce. She had to stop several times to try and clear her head. The room seemed to spin before her eyes if she stood up too quickly. She wearily examined the evidence before her. Some dust, which was great. Easy to scan through. Clothing fibers, splattered with blood. She'd have to find out if it were the victim's blood or not. She picked up the sample of blood, wondering why it was so hot in here. Abby shakily walked over to a chair and sat down. Instantly the dizziness stopped. She sighed in relief, and stood up more carefully this time. No spinning this time. Abby went back to work, more slowly this time. Eventually, Gibbs came in.

"What do you got, Abs?" was his standard greeting.

"Not much," she said, frowning. "I'm doing the best I can here, Gibbs. It's not easy doing this without McGee for the first time in, well, ever," She babbled on a little, hoping her excuse was working. Truthfully, she did need McGee here. But she could also work perfectly fine on her own. Gibbs leaned in suspiciously. She froze. There was no music. He'd know something was up.

"You seem pale, Abs. Are you feeling well?" She nodded vigorously, but not with as much energy as her usual self. "Are you sure?" Another nod.

"I'm scanning the blood sample right now, don't you worry," she called out cheerfully. "The results should be in shortly," He looked at her one more time, reading her expression, and then left the lab. As soon as he was gone, she collapsed into the chair and put her head in her hands. It was burning hot in here now. Why didn't someone turn off the heat for crying out loud? Abby stumbled to the thermostat to check the temperature. It was sixty-two degrees in here. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Why did she feel so hot, then? The room spun about her, and she started to feel a little queasy. Abby leaned against the wall and tried to breathe normally. Abby tried standing up straight again She swayed back and forth dangerously. She struggled to maintain her balance. The door slid open, and she went to go sit down. Kate strode into the lab, looking all business.

"Hey, Abby," she said. "You got anything yet? It's been half an hour already and Gibbs is getting impatient,"

"Already?" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet too quickly. She swayed slightly, and Kate caught her before she could faint onto the floor.

"Are you well?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Abby insisted, pushing Kate off her. "I just need some water," She went to her mini fridge and pulled out a water bottle. She immediately opened it and took a few sips. It helped a little, but she still felt incredibly hot.

"Jeez, it's freezing in here," Kate complained, going to the thermostat. "I'm turning it up a little because I'm about to get hypothermia in here,"

"Don't!" Abby said, a little too loudly. Kate turned to look at her. "I mean…couldn't you just get a jacket?" she pleaded. "I like it cold in here,"

"Fine, but you're acting weird today," she muttered, leaving the lab. Abby gulped some more water to calm her nerves as Ziva came in a few minutes later. Didn't they have things to do other than bother her?

"Abs, Gibbs wants that evidence," Ziva reminded her, leaning against the wall.

"I know!" she shouted. "Give me a break, for crying out loud!" The computer beeped, revealing the results of the blood sample. She stormed over to look at the screen. "There!" She pointed at the name of the victim. "Are you happy now?" she fumed, crossing her arms.

"Are you all right? Your face looks flushed," Ziva said, looking concerned.

"I am fine," she insisted. "Everyone's been asking me that today! Just leave me alone!" She stepped toward Abby, not listening. "I'd rather if you didn't…" The dizziness came back, causing her to sink toward the floor. She could Ziva calling for her, but it sounded far away. Everything tilted, and then it all went black.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in Ducky's lab on the autopsy lab. The dead body was removed and put away somewhere. She weakly sat up and saw Ziva standing there with her arms crossed.

"I knew something was up," she said. "Now we just have to wait for Ducky to return with a thermometer…oh here he is,"

"Hello, Abigail. I'll just take your temperature to make sure everything's normal with you," he said in a friendly voice. He stuck the thermometer in her mouth.

"I'm fine," she said in a muffled voice. "Don't worry about me," A few minutes later, Ducky removed the thermometer and frowned at it with worry.

"103 degrees…" he murmured. "That is awfully high. Someone should take you home. I'd offer, but I have something planned with Gibbs tonight after this case is taken care of,"

"Kate and I could watch her, and Tony can take over for Abby," Ziva offered, knowing Kate already had a lot to do even without taking over Abby's job.

"Better tell Gibbs, I bet he expects Kate to substitute for Abby," he whispered. She nodded, and took off. Ducky looked back over at Abby, who was starting to turn an unpleasant green shade.

"Mr. Palmer, I think we'll need a bucket in just a moment," he called. A second later, Palmer came out holding a bucket and thrust it at Ducky, who then held it under Abby's chin.

"Just take it," he pleaded. "I don't work well around vomit," He dashed into the other room just as Abby was violently sick into the bucket.

"I didn't think you were the squeamish type, Mr. Palmer," he shouted after his assistant. Ducky worriedly watched Abby, who was starting to fall asleep. She looked completely out of it. Ziva came back, followed by Gibbs. He walked over to the autopsy table and examined Abby.

"Yes, both you and Kate can watch her," he said quietly, brushing back Abby's hair. Some of it stayed plastered to her sweaty forehead. "She doesn't look so good…" Abby opened her eyes.

"C-Can you take me h-home?" she stuttered, shivering with cold now. "I-I'm freezing, Z-Ziva," She sat up and shuddered. The woman nodded and helped her up. Abby swayed a little upon standing, so she had to lean on Ziva for support. They went into the elevator together and managed to find Kate at her desk some minutes later.

"Kate, we're on Abby watch," she called. Tony and McGee stared.

"Abby's sick?" Tony asked in alarm.

"I don't like the color she's turning…" McGee said, his voice laced with worry. Kate hopped to her feet and helped Abby back toward the elevator. Abby hung back, going limp in her arms.

"What is it?" Kate asked. She twisted away from her and ran to throw up into a nearby trashcan. Abby wiped her mouth and coughed weakly.

"Let's just go," she muttered. She stumbled into the wall in an attempt to get to the elevator. Ziva steered her in the right direction, feeling sorry for the poor gothic scientist. She fell asleep in the elevator, so Kate had to carry her out to the car.

"Can you get the door?" she grunted. "She's really heavy," Ziva opened the door and got in the driver's seat. Kate climbed in the back and laid Abby down on the seat next to her.

"Unngh…" Abby mumbled, pushing Kate away slightly. The ride to Abby's apartment was uneventful. They chose her place because it was the closest. Kate and Ziva both lived almost twenty minutes away, and Ziva doubted that would be convenient in case her illness got serious. Finally they made it to Abby's apartment and managed to carry her to the couch without any incidents. Kate settled into an armchair for a nap. It was going to be a long night.


	20. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, still…sorry.**

Chapter 20- Nightmares

It was Kate's turn to watch Abby. Ziva had to leave to take over the rest of Tony's shift for the night. It was long past sunset, and Kate couldn't find anything to watch on TV. Abby tossed and turned on the couch, moaning and muttering in her sleep. She kept mentioning McGee and Victoria several times. Other than that, it was extremely quiet. Kate went to go get some coffee so she could last through the night. When she came back, Abby had started whimpering quietly.

"No, no, no!" she shrieked, kicking the blankets aside furiously. "Don't hurt them!" She squirmed around as if fighting something off. "Don't hurt him!" The difference in the statement was significant. Kate knew she meant McGee. Abby screamed and woke up at last.

"Don't hurt-oh," she faltered, looking around. "It was only a dream," She sighed in relief and sank back onto the pillows.

"What was your dream about?" Kate asked. "It sounded pretty intense," Abby looked down at her lap, not meeting her eyes.

"V-Victoria," she stuttered. "McGee told me all about her, how horrible she is…she tried to get him to do terrible things. And if he didn't she'd hurt me," She shuddered, but not from being cold this time.

"I do know about some of that," Kate said thoughtfully. "I've paid attention to what goes on around NCIS more than you think," Abby snuggled back onto the couch and pulled the blanket back over herself. In a moment, she was asleep. Kate watched her chest rise and fall, rise and fall. Every few minutes, she suddenly started coughing for a while before settling down again. Past the sheen of sweat on her forehead, she could see why McGee would love her. Why anyone would. How could anyone not? She may be overenthusiastic, overindulge in Caf-Pow, and hug everyone too hard, but her intentions were clear. She was very kind, very happy…very Abby. Kate's phone vibrated. McGee was calling. She answered it.

"Hello?" she whispered, trying not to wake Abby.

"How's Abby? I want to see her," he said.

"She's sleeping right now, but you can come by,"

"Is her fever going down?" McGee asked.

"I'll check in just a moment, McGee. I just hope she doesn't have another nightmare…"

"She had a nightmare?"

"Yes, it was about Victoria. Which is strange, because she's been out of action for the past month,"

"That is true. Must be part of the whole flu thing, weird dreams…"

"She kept saying 'Don't hurt them, don't hurt him' as if Victoria were trying to harm one of us,"

"Hmm…do you think any of this is important?" he asked, mostly to himself. Abby stirred in her sleep, mumbling McGee's name. She smiled slightly, as if something pleased her.

"I think it was just a dream. Don't over read into things, it could get you into trouble later on,"

"I'll be right over, Kate. I just need to make sure-oh, jeez, Ziva! Don't do that!" The phone disconnected and Kate continued her silent vigil over Abby. She continued to talk in her sleep, but didn't have any more nightmares until McGee arrived. As he walked in the door, she started to cry out.

"Timmy! Timmy, where are you? It's s-so dark! I can't see you! Tim…Tim…don't die! I can't lose you!" She opened her eyes and her glassy stare pierced right through McGee. But, wait, was she still asleep? Or did she wake up? McGee sat on the floor by her head.

"I'm here," he murmured, kissing her hair. "I'll never leave you, not ever," That seemed to satisfy her, and she drifted back to sleep.

"Her temperature went down to 102," Kate said. "I think she'll be fine tomorrow, but I don't think it'll be advisable for her to go back to work then," He stroked her hair, staring off into space. The night seemed to drag on and on and on. Kate checked the time. It wasn't even midnight. She sighed and called Ziva to see what was taking her so long to come back.

"Hello?" Her familiar Israeli accent was impossible to mistake.

"Ziv, what's taking you so long?" she complained. "Abby keeps having nightmares and it's driving me nuts,"

"Did you seriously call me Ziv?" she asked in disgust. "I'm seriously starting to mean too much to you guys,"

"Ziva! Focus here!" Kate demanded. "Abby, remember? McGee's here, by the way. He's kind of all over her, though…how does Gibbs allow him to break the rules like this?" The question was rhetorical, and Ziva was quiet for a minute.

"I'm leaving right now, just trying to get Gibbs off my hair," she muttered.

"Back," Kate corrected. "See you soon, Ziv," She hung up. Now she had something to wait for _and_ Ziva had a new nickname. She smiled a little.

"Director…broke the rule…" Abby murmured, rubbing her eyes. McGee stiffened. Was she having another nightmare? "Rule twelve," Kate's eyes widened. Was Abby just speaking nonsense, or was this true?

"Remind me what rule twelve is," Kate said weakly, sitting back in the chair. "Didn't you two break that rule?" McGee nodded, and then frowned. Something wasn't right, she thought.

"The boss allowed an exception, probably because we're being mature about it," he observed. "But, he did tell me the rule was more for him than for us," Abby's breathing started to quicken, and her hands curled around her stomach. Kate ignored her for the moment, focusing on McGee.

"It's a good thing, otherwise he would've killed you," she joked. At this, Abby moaned in despair.

"Timmy…Timmy's dead," she muttered, sobbing uncontrollably. McGee glanced at her in alarm.

"NOOOOOO!" she wailed, kicking aside the blanket again. "Not Kelly! NO!" Kate motioned for McGee to wake her up. He shook her gently, but she pushed him aside. "Gibbs! Gibbs! I need you! He's gone!" She started crying again. McGee lightly slapped her face, but she didn't wake.

"Abby?" he asked worriedly. "Can you hear me?"

"I-is that a ghost? Timmy? Are you back from the dead to comfort me?" At last he jammed his lips against hers in an attempt to wake her up.

"No-Gibbs-don't feel…" she sighed, quieting down at last. Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she was silent, looking around in confusion. She threw her arms around McGee and started sobbing. He didn't say anything, he just held her and let her cry. Ziva came in and halted at the scene before her.

"Sh…it's okay, Abs," he murmured. "It was just a dream,"

"N-No," she protested, choking on her sobs. "It felt too real! You were dead, and I lost Kelly, and I was all alone!" Ziva ventured further into the apartment and let the door close behind her.

"What else happened?" Kate asked gently. Abby shook her head, tears still running down her face. "Just tell me," She shook her head again, still clinging to McGee.

"What did I miss?" Ziva inquired, sitting on the floor next to Kate, who was now near the coffee table. Kate gave her a look.

"I saw everyone around me moving on as if he meant nothing, and Gibbs said he loved me. But-but I don't love him that way. It doesn't make any sense. I thought he wanted to be single, and alone,"

"Seriously, though," Ziva whispered. "Did anything else happen?" Kate shook her head, listening to Abby.

"It was just a dream," McGee repeated, pulling back from Abby. "Nothing at all to worry about. I will stay here, and Kate can go home, since it's almost two in the morning," She sighed, but had to agree with him. It was going to be a huge day of catch up for Abby when she got back. Kate quietly left the apartment. Ziva approached McGee, looking for a way to help. Abby finally had calmed down and was now relaxing on the couch. She seemed afraid to go back to sleep for fear she'd have another nightmare. Ziva took a wet cloth and laid it on her forehead to cool Abby down some. McGee headed into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. Ziva remained on the floor next to the couch, grateful that everything was settling down. She already had a tough enough day trying to work as quickly as Abby for hours at a time. But she just didn't have as much enthusiasm or energy, which increasingly frustrated her. How was Abby able to go for days without sleep and still able to bounce around as if she had just gotten ten hours of rest every night? Even with coffee Ziva was never so wild and enthusiastic. Maybe it was just wired in her personality to be calmer when it came to working, and more paranoid when someone seemed suspicious to her. Or maybe it came from working with the Mossad for so long. She sighed and looked up as McGee came back with a soda. Some things seemed too complicated to question. Perhaps they were the things that everyone mutually accepted. McGee motioned for her to follow him into the bedroom, and she quietly did so without asking questions. He closed the door and set his soda down on the dresser. Ziva sat on the double bed, briefly wondering where the coffin went, and discovered it sitting in the corner. McGee sat next to her. For a minute, he said nothing, just looked around a little and yawned a few times from exhaustion. Finally, he turned to her. The worry was plain in his eyes.

"If that's how she reacted in a dream where I'm dead…" he murmured, frowning in thought, "then what would she do if I died for real?"

"Don't worry about it," Ziva said lightly. "Abby's strong. I'm sure she'd manage without you. Not that you'd die anytime soon. I don't think she'd let you," At this, she chuckled, imagining the scenario. He nodded, going to get his soda.

"Timmy! I need a bucket!" Abby called out. He got up so fast that she barely saw the movement. McGee ran out into the living room. Ziva remained on the bed, relaxing a little. She checked the alarm clock. It was two-thirty. She closed her eyes, intending to take a nap. When she woke up, it was almost five. She felt wide awake. Ziva went out into the living room and saw McGee asleep on the couch, but no Abby. Where did she go? Ziva wandered around the house and found her in the kitchen, eating some chicken noodle soup.

"Good morning!" she said happily, setting down her spoon. "I thought that my stomach had finally settled down, so I decided to have something to eat. I hope my latest nightmares didn't bother you,"

"No, I was asleep," Ziva responded, sitting at the table. "You've been quite a handful to take care of…I'd hate to see what happens when you get a more serious illness," Abby looked slightly offended, but let it go.

"Well…" she said slowly, stirring her soup. "A couple times I pretended I was having a nightmare so McGee could hold me. I let him kiss me like that last night…that was pretty nice," She smiled, a faint pink blush showing in her cheeks. It took off some of her paleness by a notch.

"But you're such a bad liar," Ziva said, laughing a little. "How did you manage that?" Abby shrugged.

"I got creative," she replied, taking her soup to the sink. Ziva stood up.

"I should probably head to NCIS. Kate doesn't think you should come into work today, just to make sure everything's fine," She started for the door. McGee stirred in his sleep. She decided not to bother him. Gibbs would know he was worried about Abby and staying with her. It's part of his instinct. Abby shook her head and followed her.

"When he wakes up, I'm going in," she insisted. "You go on ahead and tell Gibbs I feel well enough to go back to work,"

**A/N: Only a few chapters left to go on this story! Thank you to all who read and reviewed so far!**


	21. Gut Feeling

Chapter 21- Gut Feeling

The next day, Abby drove to work alone, wondering what could have possibly happened to McGee. He didn't return from the store last night. She shook her head and tried to focus. Gibbs was probably going to be all over her today. She didn't like taking another day off when she felt fine after six in the morning yesterday, but McGee had insisted she needed her sleep. So she slept. All day. And no nightmares that time. Victoria wasn't even her concern any longer. So, everything would back to normal at NCIS. Or whatever was considered normal in that insane place. She smiled, remembering at all the laughable moments they shared in the various areas of the building, from Tony chasing Ziva around to the point that she had to get Gibbs to intervene, to Kate playing constant pranks on Tony to get back at him for all the times he tried asking her out. She parked in her usual spot and decided to take the stairs. Up, up, up, and up again. She approached Ziva's desk, grinning at the ex-Mossad.

"You look a lot better, Abby," she observed. "Glad to see you're back. Kate is down there still taking over for you. Might want to rescue her before Gibbs goes to the lab for an update," Abby nodded, but didn't move. Tony threw a paper airplane in Ziva's direction and she was forced to duck so it wouldn't hit her in the face. Abby left to go visit Ducky. She should tell him she was fine now. Down in the autopsy, things seemed to be getting a little crazy. Palmer kept dropping things, causing Ducky to lose his frustration, and was getting close to yelling at him when Abby skipped by.

"It's all good now!" she sang, hugging Ducky fiercely. He froze in surprise.

"Nice to see you're well again, Abby," Palmer said, picking up the scalpel and continuing the autopsy as if nothing had happened. "You looked like death the other day, and I thought-"

"Palmer, no one can _look_ like death," he corrected in a stern voice. "You of all people should know that," Palmer grinned in relief when he realized Ducky was only joking.

"Shouldn't you head down to your lab?" Ducky asked. "I think Gibbs senses your return and probably wants you back over there,"

"I will in a minute," she said. "I just have to check on Timmy first, and then I'll go, okay? See you later!" She waved at the two of them on her way out. She stepped into the elevator and tried calling McGee. No answer. She started to worry. He always answered his phone. Maybe Gibbs knew where he was. She went to his desk, but it was empty. Out in the field, she guessed. She tried the Director, but she didn't have a clue. Her worry started to grow.

"Ziva?" she asked worriedly. "Have you seen Tim?"

"No I have not. Why?"

"He didn't come back last night from the store and he won't answer his phone," Abby fretted, glancing at McGee's desk again.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Ziva said, in an attempt to reassure her. Tony threw another paper airplane, this time at Abby. She jumped out of the way and yelled for him to stop it.

"I just…have a feeling something's wrong," she murmured when Tony had calmed down, gazing at the floor. "A gut feeling, like Gibbs gets sometimes, you know?"

"Like when he eats too much Mexican?" Ziva offered, misreading the expression. Abby shook her head.

"No, more like when you just…know something's not right. It's instinctual," Tony threw a paper airplane at Gibbs, who had just walked in. Gibbs smacked Tony upside the head and sat down at his own desk.

"Gibbs has good instincts, why don't you ask him? I'm very busy at the moment and my father is expected to call soon," Abby approached the boss, who was drinking his coffee and watching Tony.

"Gibbs, did you hear from Tim?" she asked hesitantly. She closed her eyes, hoping her instincts were wrong and he'd say yes, and that everything was perfectly fine.

"Yes, he's down in your lab now waiting for you," he answered, shooting a glare at Tony, who was now rummaging through Kate's things as part of his annoying morning routine when she wasn't there. She sighed in relief, but hesitated at the elevator. What if she was right and everything _wasn't_ fine? How did Gibbs do this all the time? How did he know he was right? Was a "gut feeling" ever wrong? She looked back over at Gibbs, who was now talking to Ziva. She seemed upset, and he was providing a word of comfort. He always knew what to do, even when the solution seemed impossible. Abby sighed and took the stairs to stall for time. Perhaps she was just being ridiculously paranoid like Ziva. McGee was always fine, and when he got in danger or did something stupid, he usually managed to find a way to fix things. Abby stopped at the door to her lab before it came into full view, trying to gather her thoughts. This was it. This is when she'd find out if her gut feeling was wrong or right. No in-between or second chances. No turning back, she'd already gone too far for that.

"Please let me be wrong," she whispered, slowly shuffling toward the door. It innocently sat there and waited to be opened. The glass was getting slightly grimy. It would have to be cleaned soon. She slowly reached for the panel that would unlock the door. One button at a time. Abby confidently started to put in her age and McGee's age added together. She changed it once a year, of course, to stay on top of things. Every December on a random day at a random time she shooed anyone that was in her lab out and changed the code. The lock clicked, signaling that the door was now unlocked. She reluctantly reached for the door and started to open it.

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness, I just couldn't make it any longer than that. I'd try, but I want to put what happens next on the next chapter, mwahahahahaha!**


	22. Saving McGee

Chapter 22- Saving McGee

_Holy crap…_Abby thought, staring in shock at the identical twins holding Kate and McGee hostage. There was no time to get Gibbs. Time to handle things herself. She strode into the lab and glared at Victoria and her twin…they looked so much alike it was scary.

"Daniela, she's here," Victoria said. "Let the girl go for now. I want to see how it goes when we've got even numbers," The other blonde woman shoved Kate aside and crossed her arms.

"Kate, what happened?" Abby demanded. She coughed and looked up at her.

"I don't know, I just walked in here after coming back from the bathroom and they were here!" she yelled. Abby remained calm and faced Victoria.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded. Victoria tightened the ropes around the unconscious McGee and stepped aside.

"I want revenge," she replied, a menacing grin spreading across her face. "You stole my McGee from me and I want him back, by any means possible," She pulled out a gun and pointed it at Abby._ My baby Kelly…I can't afford to lose her!_ Kate worriedly looked at the weapon. At this, McGee woke up and groggily gazed at his surroundings.

"Victoria…" he slurred. Was he drugged? "Don't do this," She ignored him, still staring at Abby.

"I have to," the woman insisted, "for us, remember?" Daniela pulled out her knife and approached Kate. Victoria motioned for her to attack, and she obeyed at once. Kate prepared to defend herself. Abby ran up to Victoria and tried to pry the gun out of her hands. She shoved her off and injected something into McGee's neck that caused him to fall back asleep. Abby scrambled to her feet and tried to loosen the ropes on him, but the knots were too tight. She attempted to wake up McGee, but he was too deep in his drugged sleep to be bothered. Victoria took Abby's arms and twisted them behind her back. Meanwhile, Daniela was trying to catch Kate, but she was too fast. She nimbly dodged each blow and counterattacked with perfect precision. The intense focus on her face was a little scary.

"I'll give you one chance to end things with Tim so he's mine," Victoria warned her. "After that, you're done for good," She released her and untied McGee. Abby bent down and looked at his face. He was still sleeping, but the drugs were wearing off already. It must have been a small dose that he was given, she thought, trying to wake him up.

"Need…water…" he murmured with his eyes barely open. Abby found a water bottle and poured a little on his face. It seemed to wake him up a little. She went ahead and dumped all of it on his head. He jolted awake and looked around.

"Where…what happened?" McGee said in a confused voice. "What's Victoria doing here?"

"Say it, Abby," Victoria ordered, ignoring McGee still. "I want you to end it all now…and you'll get away alive. After all, isn't that what you want?" Abby shook her head.

"I came here to save my Timmy, and no other reason," she said coldly. "I'm not as selfish and heartless as you," Daniela threw her knife at Kate, but she managed to dodge it and counterattack with a fierce kick in her chest. Victoria turned over to Abby, her eyes flashing dangerously. The gun was back in her hands. Time seemed to slow down as she pulled the trigger. McGee shoved her out of the way, sending her flying into the lab table. Kate finally gave Daniela one last punch that sent her to the ground. She did not get up again. Victoria aimed the gun at Kate and fired. The bullet missed by inches, but smashed the glass on the door behind her. The alarm started to go off, and Victoria ran to go wake up her sister.

"Get up!" she whispered desperately. "We're going to get captured!" Daniela stirred, but did not get up right away. McGee went to help Abby to her feet while he had the chance.

"Get off me," Daniela muttered, "I'm injured, not stupid," She shakily got to her feet and started out of the lab, limping slightly. The alarm was still blaring. Gibbs would be in here any minute, Abby thought, letting McGee pull her up as she watched the scene before her.

"Go, escape! I'll handle this!" Victoria said, disabling the alarm. Abby wanted to do something to stop her, but she didn't know what. McGee also looked uncertain of his next move. Finally, the blonde woman stepped toward the couple, analyzing them. She gazed almost longingly at McGee, as if she thought she still had a chance of being with him after all of this. Her eyes hardened when she looked at Abby, and her features twisted with a mixture of pain and jealousy. She pointed the gun at her again, but her hand was shaking too violently to aim properly. Kate started to approach the group, but instead ran off to go get help. Victoria pulled the trigger, but the gun just clicked uselessly. It was empty. She cursed and tossed it aside. She bent down and scooped up the knife lying on the floor. It was surrounded by shards of glass and blood from the fight. She spun around and faced McGee again, who stood protectively in front of Abby. She pushed him aside and fearlessly strode up to Victoria.

"You are going to die," she growled, thrusting the knife at her, but Abby dodged it and twisted her wrist. She gasped and dropped the weapon. She attacked again, sending out as many punches and kicks as she could before she finally ran out of energy. Abby had managed to block each blow while returning some of her own, grateful of the training she had received for a karate class she was supposed to take as a child, but never attended a single lesson.

"You…you'll pay," Victoria gasped as Kate came in with Gibbs. He handcuffed her and started to pull the woman away. Abby silently watched them. "I swear, you will!" she yelled as she was dragged out of the lab. As soon as they were gone, McGee ran to hug Abby.

"Oh, Abs," he said. "I don't know if you were being brave or stupid, but that was amazing,"

"I couldn't help but feel something was wrong," Abby whispered, "so I came here, hoping that everything was fine,"

"Well, I'm fine now…but that drug was pretty weird," he muttered, pulling back a little. "It made me all tired and gave me strange dreams. It was almost like being drunk without the nausea afterward,"

"Abby? I think you'll need to bring Ducky up here," Kate called out. "Her knife got me pretty deep in the leg…" She nodded and went to her phone to call him. McGee knelt down over Kate and made sure her wound wasn't too serious.

"Duck? Yeah, it's Abby. Kate got hurt and I need you over here. No, I don't think so…the bleeding hasn't stopped yet that's all I know. Okay, thanks!" She hung up and helped Kate sit up.

"Is there any glass in the wound?" McGee asked, examining her injury.

"Ow!" Kate complained when he touched her leg. "I was next to the door, so what do you think?" She glared at him.

"Sorry, I had to check," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Abs, tell Ducky he's going to need to sew the wound up, it looks fairly deep. Oh, and I need something to get all the glass out," She nodded, just as Ducky came in with his medical kit.

"All right, let's see what we've got here," he murmured, looking at Kate. McGee got out of the way as he bent over her. Palmer stepped through the hole in the door, staring at all the glass around him.

"Wow, what happened here?" he asked. "Did Abby have a tantrum over evidence again?" McGee gave him a look.

"Kate got hurt in a fight earlier. Ducky's taking care of it," McGee told him. "Are you here to clean up the mess?"

"Guess I am now," he muttered when the medical examiner glanced at him. He sighed and pulled on a pair of gloves. Abby left her lab to go find someone to talk to. She ran into Ziva in the elevator.

"Hi, Abby! What was with the alarm earlier?"

"Long story. I just needed to get away from my lab," she said. "It's a little crazy down there,"

"Really? Tell me what happened," Ziva said eagerly. Abby told her of how she felt something was wrong when McGee wouldn't answer his phone, and she went to her lab to investigate. She was starting to get to the part when McGee was being drugged when the elevator opened and Gibbs got in. She glanced at him and continued her story as if nothing had happened.

"So…Kate is being tended for right now if you want to see her," she concluded awkwardly as they headed for Ziva's desk a few minutes later.

"How did she get past security, is my question," Ziva mused, sitting in the chair and searching through security tapes.

"I think…she told the guards the truth, that she was here to see McGee and she was an old friend of his," Abby said, thinking about what McGee had said about the woman. Ziva looked up, a surprised look on her face.

"Just when you think all the strategies were used…very rarely does that happen. Tell the truth to appear innocent. It's ingenious,"

"Calm down, Ziv," Abby laughed at her expression.

"You and Kate are both calling me that now. Why?" she wondered.

"Because you're our friend," Ziva smiled. _Friend…_McGee came by and gave Abby a bone-crushing hug.

"I'll reward you for saving me later, but for now, you can take this as a token of my gratitude," he said formally just before kissing her. He smiled at her and went over to Tony to tell him what happened. Things were quiet. Gibbs came over by Tony's desk and announced the new case for the day. Everyone set to work, except for Abby. The mess down in her lab hadn't been cleaned up yet. She awkwardly stood there, trying to find something to do. Finally, Palmer and Kate came by, with Kate leaning on him for support.

"So is that why your head is wet, McProbie?" Tony asked in an amused tone. "I thought you were going to do that dog thing and shake it all off," Gibbs head slapped him. Just a normal day at the office, Abby thought, smiling to herself.


	23. Already?

**A/N: This is the final chapter of my first NCIS fanfiction, Too Much To Lose. I greatly appreciate all the feedback this story has received thus far, and I'm astounded that so many people have read it in such a short amount of time. It makes me a little sad that the conclusion is coming so soon, when it seems only yesterday I was writing Chapter 1. But there is a sequel coming up eventually, once I work out the plot bunnies I've got going. So, thank you once again for being such a great audience of readers, and here is the final chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 23- Already?

It has been over five months since Victoria was arrested and locked away in jail. Things at NCIS have long since calmed down and it was business as usual day by day. Cases flowed in more slowly, and the team sometimes had whole weeks with nothing to do but sit around and share stories. Kate recovered from being stabbed with no ill effects, and eagerly told them the story of Abby's immense bravery over and over again until even the Director was listening and asking for more details. McGee filled in what the others didn't know, and Tony added his own immature comments now and then. But eventually the story lost its appeal and life moved on. Summer was approaching, and the days grew longer. Everyone was starting to get lazy around the office. They hadn't had a case in almost two weeks, which was unusual, but the lack of action had been happening so often they didn't question it. Ziva and Kate were playing a quiet game of hangman on the floor. Tony had left for a coffee break for the third time that morning. McGee was hanging out at Kate's desk, changing her desktop background every five minutes out of pure boredom. Abby was down in her lab as usual. Ducky came out, looking a little wilted in the summer heat. The air conditioning was broken again.

"Morning, Ziva," he said softly. "Has anyone seen Abigail?"

"Lab," Kate replied.

"That was the word. Lucky guess," Ziva muttered, scrubbing something out with her eraser. Ducky nodded and headed back into the elevator. Tony came back with his cup of coffee.

"I heard Gibbs has a new case for us," he announced, sitting on the floor near the women. "But…the Director could be just making it up to give us busy work," He sprawled out, making sure his legs were really close to Ziva's to get a reaction out of her. She ignored him.

"What should we do now?" Kate asked in a bored voice. "I don't even know why I came in today. This is getting ridiculous. Its times like these I wish I hadn't left the Secret Service," It was quiet for a minute. Kate rarely mentioned her old job at NCIS, not even to Gibbs.

"You don't mean that," McGee argued, turning away from the computer. "We all know you love working here, Kate," Gibbs strode in, looking stressed.

"Dead Lieutenant Officer outside our building," he called out. "Get moving, Ziva, Tony," They leapt up and sped for the elevator. McGee followed them, intending to visit Abby to see how she was doing.

_Abby's lab_

"Seriously, why doesn't something happen?" she demanded to Bert the hippo. "I've been waiting for weeks at a time for evidence, and nothing comes," The hippo remained silent, an unusual thing since it made a fart noise when picked up. The door opened, and Ducky came in with several plastic bags.

"Yay, evidence!" she cried out, running to hug Ducky. "Oh, look, there's mold! How'd you know I adored mold more than anything? And ooh…a syringe! How interesting! Thanks, Duck!" She hugged him again. The medical examiner left, a small smile of amusement on his face. Abby hummed happily while she worked, occasionally singing along to the songs that played on the CD. McGee came in a few minutes later.

"Hey, Abs," he said, smiling. She set down her Caf-Pow and hugged him tightly. "Just coming to see you…"

"About time! It's so lonely down here," she said to him, messing with his hair a little. "I can't believe I went two weeks with nothing to do but talk to Bert all day! But it's all good now. I have mold and chemicals to keep me company too, and also you now that you're here. Did you know there are over ten thousand types of mold? And almost a hundred of them can be found in the average household. Oh, Tim! I almost forgot! Where are we meeting up tonight? I could hardly hear you over the phone, Tony kept interrupting me about some movie star he said was in town the other day and I just couldn't listen to two people talking at once and-"

"Abs," McGee said, cutting her wild chatter off at once. She looked at him. "Calm down for a sec, I just got here," She nodded, zipping her lips tightly. He sighed in relief at the silence. Well, not total silence. The music still softly played, but was starting to fade into another track he didn't recognize. She grimaced in pain.

"What's wrong?" he asked, forgetting about their date for a moment.

"Contractions, I think," she answered, wincing again. "I've been timing them for the past half an hour. Isn't it too early?"

"Yes…but if you're about to go into labor…" McGee started, watching her mouth numbers silently to herself. She was quiet for several minutes before she made another pinched face of pain.

"Okay, Kelly doesn't want to wait any longer. They're seven minutes apart now," They left the lab together, heading straight for the parking lot without any stops along the way. McGee decided to take his car, since it had more room in the back. He drove as fast as he could to the nearest hospital, disregarding the speed limit sign. Of course, just his luck, he was pulled over by a police officer.

"Sir, do you know how fast you were going?" the man asked.

"Seventy-five," McGee answered. "My girlfriend is about to have a baby,"

"Hurry up, Tim!" Abby screamed from the back. "This isn't very comfortable, you know!" The officer glanced toward Abby and looked back at McGee.

"All right, you want a police escort?" he offered. "No charge necessary,"

"Thanks, but I…all right why not?"

"Step on it!" Abby shrieked. McGee glanced at the officer's name tag. Officer Gregory.

"Officer Gregory, if you'd just leave the alarms off, that would be great," he said, anxiously glancing at Abby. She was gripping the leather seats with more force than was necessary, and her lips were going white from holding back a scream for so long.

"Okay, I'll just get in my car and let you start driving," he said.

_Back at NCIS…_

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs shouted, startling Kate.

"He went down to see Abby and I haven't seen him since," she answered, looking a little confused. "Why, Gibbs?"

"I need him to interrogate someone…" he muttered, heading for the elevator. He went down to Abby's lab, but didn't see Abby or McGee. He cursed in frustration and took out his cell phone. He dialed McGee's number.

"Boss? I'm at the hospital right now…kind of bad time for you to call,"

"Who's hurt?" he asked.

"Nobody,"

"Then why are you at the hospital?"

"Abby went into labor in the lab today and I had to rush her here," the probie explained.

"Already? But it's too early," he protested.

"I know…but everything will be fine. You guys can come see her in a little while once she stops shrieking like a maniac," Gibbs could hear Abby in the background, asking for water.

"I'll be sure to tell them that. See you later, probie," He hung up and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

_At the hospital- a few hours later_

Kelly Abigail Sciuto was born on May 12, 2010 at 8:43 p.m. weighing 6 pounds and 2 ounces. She was completely healthy for someone born a whole month early. She happily went to sleep in Abby's arms some time around nine-thirty, when Ziva came in to visit. McGee wasn't in the room.

"Hey, Abby, Gibbs told us the news…he's talking to McGee right now," she said, sitting in the chair closest to the bed. "Everyone's excited to see her, you know. Kate will be in here right after me, if Tony doesn't get here first,"

"Why?" she asked. "What's Tony doing?"

"Arguing with Kate to see who gets to come in next," she responded. "Oh no…" Tony came sprinting into the room, closely followed by Kate.

"Told you…I'd get here…first," Tony wheezed.

"Only because you shoved me down half a flight of stairs," she practically shouted.

"Guys, be quiet!" Abby hissed. "Kelly's sleeping!" They stopped arguing at once, but kept exchanging looks that suggested the conversation wasn't over just yet. Eventually, everyone in the team got to take a look at Kelly, but after a while it was getting late and time for everyone to leave. Visiting hours were almost over. McGee came in to say bye to Abby.

"I hope you'll be all right being here all alone all night," he said. "I heard that sometimes the screams can be a little disturbing,"

"I'll be fine, Tim," she assured him. "As long as you and Kelly are fine, I will be. I love you, Timmy," It was the first time she had said those words to him.

"Love you too," he whispered. "Gotta go. Duty calls," He ducked out of the room and left. Abby held onto the glowing feeling that she had felt ever since she first laid eyes on Kelly. She was a mother now…which was easier to believe when the infant opened her eyes and began to wail. It was the first time she had made any noise since she was born.

"It'll be okay," she reassured Kelly, gently rocking her. "Shh…Momma's here," Abby stayed that way for a long time, with the motherly feeling starting to become more familiar and pleasant to her. By the time Kelly was asleep again, she could definitely believe the baby in her arms was her own daughter.


End file.
